Lives Crossed: Saga One
by Miaka Sukunami
Summary: Crystal Tokyo is attacked leaving 3 survivors: Usagi, Chibi Usa and Hotaru. Hotaru is separated from the others, but life continues on and Usagi starts a new life with her daughter. Those she meets just might change her life forever. Operation Meteor/Cell Saga. Revamp! R&R Please!
1. PROLOGUE

_**Note from the Author**_: _It has taken ages for me to get this story rewritten and on the road to completion, but here we are finally on track. Before my long hiatus since ' 05, Lives Crossed was one of my most popular fanfictions. After some careful consideration I have decided to pick up rewriting the story and moving forward with it. I hope to see some of old fans and reviewers come back and continue to give me their feed back as well as some new faces. I love to read your feed back! I also have high hopes that everyone will enjoy the rewrite. If anyone has any questions, concerns, or comments, there are several ways to contact me; e.g., review this story, send me (the author) a PM through this site, email me at jadedsupergirl(at)hotmail(dot)com, check my livejournal at kaede_marie(dot)livejournal(dot)com, or on aim at kaede083._

_Also, I know this is a pretty short chapter/prologue but honestly I just wanted to see people's reaction to the rewrite before I really dive in to the whole project. Besides, it is only a prologue it's supposed to be short._

_**Warnings**_: _(chapter specific) Alternate Universe, Character death_

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_Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi_

_New Mobile Report Gundam W belongs to Masashi Ikeda, Sunrise Studios, TV Asahi & Bandai Entertainment. Illustration by Kōichi Tokita._

_I own nothing!_

**LIVES CROSSED: SAGA ONE**

_By Miaka Sukunami aka Kaede Marie_

**PROLOGUE**

_Time Unknown – Gates of Time and Space_

_**Setsuna:**_

The Gates of Time are as silent as a tomb save for the clack of my heeled boots against the solid ground underneath me. The noise is unbelievably piercing in the quiet, echoing in a very unnerving way, but you know after living this way for so many centuries it just doesn't really seem to faze me anymore. Things are no different from the day before or any other day for that matter. The days just sort of flow into each other, becoming weeks, months, and years without any real distinction. I couldn't possibly tell you what day of the week it is.

This place is under my charge. I am the guardian of the Gates of Time and Space. It is my duty to stand guard here for all eternity. It is a job that is all encompassing, and one that I take very seriously. I do not take breaks. I do not take any time off. After all, there is no stopping the flow of time just to take a vacation. There is no corporeal 'Father Time' that I could tender my resignation to if I wished. There is no feasible way to tell a God that you want to quit your day job. It just isn't done. I take the weight of this task upon my shoulders and lead a rather...lonely existence. Yeah, eternity can be a very long time.

There is not much to look at here; just a whole lot of mist and not much else. The lack of stimulation and human contact would be enough to drive any normal person insane. I am quite sane though, thank you very much. What I am not, however, is normal. Aside from being guardian of the gates, I am a Sailor Soldier and I have a gift. Some would call this gift, magic, while others would call it a curse. I am not sure if either term is appropriate.

With the use of my staff, the Garnet Rod, I have the ability to manipulate time. It is not an ability that I use often, of course, because it is a double edged sword. Messing with the grand scheme of things is generally a big no-no. I'm not entirely comfortable tampering with the way things are meant to be. I do not like abusing my power. The slightest intervention by me, or anyone else could prove to be disastrous and I do not take those kinds of chances lightly. I simply keep an eye on things and I suppose that is enough.

It has been a long time...long enough that one could fall into a false sense of security. As the years passed in relative peace I was beginning to think that the guardians of the Earth could lay down their weapons once and for all. I should have guessed the passing years had only been a gift, a brief respite. I was foolhardy and unprepared when I saw the moment in time that would bring the horrific destruction Crystal Tokyo. It is forbidden to meddle in the lives of the mortals. There is only so much I can do within my power without breaking the taboo of time.

This was beyond my control. I was not even sure if there was anything I could do; but I had to try, even if it meant pushing passed my limitations and dealing with the consequences later. There was too much at stake. I left the Gates of Time without permission for the first time in over a century and sought out the rest of the outer sailor scouts...

My presence on the mortal plane was met with a fair amount of shock. I wasn't surprised. In fact, I expected their reaction. Haruka and Michiru could never have imagined that I would be dropping in for a visit... not that this trip should really constitute as a visit anyway. It's sufficed to say that they were both quite alarmed when I appeared on their doorstep. I didn't have any time for pleasantries so I bulled forward without giving them any time to recover.

"I need to speak with all three of you and I do not have much time," I said, and they immediately gave ground for me to walk past them into the large manor house they shared. I was not going to have this conversation out on the front porch. They followed me inside without question.

"And Hotaru?" I prompted once we had moved into the living room.

"She's upstairs. I'll go get her." Michiru offered, already on her way toward the stairs. I nodded without comment and she disappeared up the stairs.

That left Haruka and I alone together. Haruka tends to fidget when she is anxious. She is not aware of this fact nor is it something she does consciously. She just cannot seem to be still for more than a few seconds. I am well aware of the fact that my presence makes her anxious. Well, to be fair, it isn't exactly my company that fuels her agitation. It is probably the fact that I have never been the bearer of good news and she expects that today will be no different. On top of that, I think my cryptic nature annoys her. She let out a breath in exasperation, and ran a hand through her short, windswept blond hair before shoving both hands into the pockets of her slacks. I pretended not to notice anything while my own tan hands smoothed out the skirt I was wearing. I'm not entirely fond of wearing civilian clothes. It makes me uncomfortable.

We didn't have to wait long. Hotaru's petite form came down the stairs ahead of Michiru. I'm surprised at her child like appearance, though I know I shouldn't be. This is not the first time nor will it be the last that the Sailor Scout of Death and Rebirth, and I will come across each other. It is her youth and innocuous temperament that catches me off guard every time. For one that wields such a destructive power, she is surprisingly docile...and small.

"Hello, Miss Setsuna." she greeted me serenely.

"Hello, Little one." I replied, inclining my head respectfully.

Michiru herded her over to the couch and they both sat. Haruka migrated over to them automatically and sat on Hotaru's left; perched on the arm of the couch with her arms crossed over her chest. Hotaru sat between them looking down at her hands, dark hair falling over her face like curtains. She has always been a shy one.

"What is this about?" Haruka cut in, ever the impatient one; now that they were all present she would not waste any time mincing words.

I sighed, "Small Lady's birthday is in a few days time."

Haruka's anxiety morphed into something akin to anger and her expression turned incredulous. I waited for the outburst of her temper this time.

"Her birthday," she parroted, her voice deadly even, "you came to remind us about the princess' birthday? What, did they forget to send a memo?"

"Haruka!" Michiru exclaimed looking aghast at her partner's outburst.

"No, I would not leave the gates unguarded for something so trivial," I explained, having to reign in my own patience as I spoke. "I've seen something."

Haruka's mouth moved to speak again and I glared at her, "I cannot tell you."

I gave no room for argument and she subsided, closing her mouth and pressing her lips together in a frown. Michiru was beginning to look worried.

"I would like—" I continued, certain that I would not be interrupted again, "for the three of you to monitor things in Crystal Tokyo. Keep an eye on Small Lady for me. I have...faith that when the time comes you will know what to do."

Hotaru raised her head and I met her eyes for a brief instant then she blinked. A quick inclination of her head told me that she understood my meaning. Haruka and Michiru exchanged a glance, speaking volumes between themselves without words. I chose to ignore the exchange and made to leave.

"I don't understand." Haruka said, her tone more subdued, "why not tell the guardians? Why us?"

I turned around to regard the blond. "I cannot tell you," I repeated, "I have already said too much."

Haruka growled in frustration, but the woman's anger petered out the moment Michiru placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"We will watch over things at the palace," She assured me.

I nodded once. "Good luck."

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_**Post note from the Author**_** –**

_There have been a few edits (though very small and probably will go unnoticed in the prologue) Let me know what you all think also if you think I should continue with this story. I love comments and constructive criticism!_


	2. EXTINGUISHED

_Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi_

_New Mobile Report Gundam Wing belongs to Masashi Ikeda, Sunrise Studios, TV Asahi & Bandai Entertainment. Illustration by Kōichi Tokita._

_I own nothing!_

**EXTINGUISHED**

_30th Century - Crystal Tokyo_

_**Usagi:**_

Life is a very brief and unpredictable passage of time. You think you have all the time in the world until suddenly it's gone and there is nothing you can do about it. The only thing you can do is live for the moment and hold on to it. Cherish the most precious moments that life gives you, because they are fleeting. There is no such thing as a 'do-over'; not really.

That being said, I must confess that there is at least one moment in my life that I do regret with all my heart. Now it wouldn't be fair to say that I regret all of it. You have to learn to take all of the bad along with the good. I still hold some very wonderful memories from that fateful day and every day before that. The one thing that I will never regret is where my choices have led me up to now.

I won't say that everything was perfect. Life is never perfect. We had the weight of the whole world on our shoulders. It sort of comes with the territory of being 'Queen of the World' in the thirtieth century. Surprised? Yeah, I was too. Really…who would have ever guessed I had the potential? Especially since my first grade teacher said I would never make it out of grade school. I guess I showed her, huh? As a teenager I was known as Usagi Tsukino; an immature ditzy crybaby, and a klutz. But I suppose after saving the world as many times as my friends and I had, we became known as heroines. Apparently I have other…more unique qualities that make me some sort of leader. Go figure.

I suppose you are wondering what it is exactly that makes my friends and I legendary super heroines. That, however, is a story that is much too long and too many centuries old. What I can tell you is that my friends; Minako, Ami, Rei, Makoto and I have special abilities that enable us to protect the planet. Before the founding of Crystal Tokyo, I was also known as Sailor Moon. Go ahead. Laugh. I know it must sound pretty corny, but I really had no conscious choice in the name of my alter ego. Apparently it has something to do with being Princess of the Moon in my previous life. Like I said, it's a very long complicated story. I know this all must sound like some strange fantasy novel, but really, it's not.

We had many adventures and saved the universe more times than I can count. I guess somewhere along the way I grew up and became someone befitting my current station and accepted the responsibility that being Queen of the World entails. With the source of my power, the Silver Crystal, I brought peace to Earth. For a long time things were good until it seemed that our good fortune was due to run out.

I should begin this little tale by mentioning that I have a beautiful daughter. She is the light of my life, gives me my strength, and is the most amazing gift I could have ever asked for. She was born on my birthday, the thirtieth of June. We named her Usagi, after me. As she grew older she was known simply as Usa or Small Lady. We were an incredibly happy family; my husband, my baby and I.

Usa was just a little over five years old when we were attacked by the forces of the NegaMoon. It was an attack of catastrophic proportions. I do not remember much of what happened since I was incapacitated very early on. During the initial chaos, I discovered that both Usa and the Silver Crystal were missing. While I frantically searched for her, I was caught off guard by an attack. Later, I learned that in a bizarre twist of fate my daughter traveled through time and sought the help of my past self. We were able to restore peace to Crystal Tokyo and my little girl came home.

June rolled around all too soon, barely a month after Usa's return. It was decided then, that in honor of our birthday and her return we would have the biggest celebration that the kingdom had ever seen. Usa and I could hardly contain our excitement for the whole week as preparations were being made.

On the evening of the actual event I made my way to my daughter's room after I showered and dressed. I knocked on the bedroom door and walked in when she called to me.

I suppose that Usa takes after me in appearance and as much as I'd like to deny it, she's a little like me in personality as well. We're both very petite, fair skinned, and have a heart shaped face. We both wear our hair in two identical pigtails with buns at the top of our head. Our personalities are also so similar, particularly our stubbornness, that it has led to some very interesting disagreements. But even with all our similarities there are some traits that are uniquely Usa's. For instance, her hair is the color of pink cotton candy and she has red eyes, where as I am blond with blue eyes.

Usa was standing in front of her vanity mirror, half dressed, and in the process of doing her hair. Her dress, a smaller replica of my own, was laid out on the bed for her to put on once she was done.

"Here, let me," I said as I walked across the room towards her.

She beamed up at me and placed the brush in my waiting hand. "Thanks, Mommy."

I smiled fondly and finished brushing her hair, which I parted into two identical pigtails and picked up into her familiar "rabbit ear" buns. When I was done she gave herself one last appraising glance in the mirror and I helped her into the dress we'd had specially made for the occasion.

"You look perfect." I praised and she beamed up at me again just as someone else knocked on the door.

"Usa?" Minako's voice called, "Is your mother in there with you?"

"Come on in Minako. We're just about finished here." I called to my long time friend.

She swept into the room looking like someone straight out of a super model magazine. You'd think after so many years of knowing her I wouldn't be caught so off guard seeing her like this. I had to fight to keep the look of amazement off of my face. The pale gold strapless gown Minako selected for the occasion suited her perfectly. Her long, blond hair was done in a tasteful up-do and the pale make-up she wore accented the color of the dress. Minako could rival the real goddess of love herself if she chose to. I was about to offer my compliments, but the expression on her face told me something was wrong.

The look was only fleeting as Usa had turned to look at her and exclaimed happily. "Wow, Minako! You look fantastic."

Minako smiled. "Thanks, Munchkin. You look pretty fantastic yourself. Um... do you think I could borrow your Mom for a minute?"

Usa wrinkled her nose at the nickname, but she smiled and nodded anyway, "sure thing."

"Usa, why don't you go check on Makoto in the kitchen" I said. "I bet she'll let you have a peek at the cake before the party."

"Mm hmm!"

With the promise of birthday cake, Usa was off to the kitchen. That left Minako and I to discuss whatever was troubling her. I'm afraid I knew what she wanted to discuss before the words even left her mouth.

"Usagi," she began in a tone that promised she was prepared to argue her point, "I really do think we should cancel this party."

I shook my head. I was not prepared to give ground on this argument. "We can't do that Minako."

"We have to! It's too dangerous to go ahead with this party when another small town of people has vanished. We had another report come in just this morning. This is the third small town that has become completely vacant in under a month. These towns have become ghost towns. Each time all that is left of the people are their clothes. It's serious Usagi. This time it happened close to one of the crystal points. Everyone might be in danger if we don't figure out what is going on."

"I know. I've read the reports, but if we cancel things now it will only cause wide spread panic. We don't need that right now. I've already sent another team out to investigate and we've doubled security around the palace for tonight. You took care of security detail yourself, remember?"

She frowned at me and blew out a breath. I had the impression that I wasn't going to like the next bit of news she was about to deliver. She certainly looked uncomfortable

"There's something else." she said at length. The look on her face was grave before she spoke again. "The Outer Scouts are here in Tokyo."

For a handful of beats I just stared at her incredulously. I had not seen the Outer Scouts in years. They were only summoned in the direst of situations. The appearance of just one of them alone was not a good sign. The news that they were in Tokyo made my blood run cold. I was starting to think twice about going through with the festivities. I knew however, that it was too late to back track now.

"They're all here?" I had to ask.

Minako nodded in response. "All of them, except for Pluto. I saw them arrive and disappear into the palace. They would not speak to me, but I am sure that they will try to approach you tonight at the party."

That was all that needed to be said. The Outer Scouts only take orders from me. If Setsuna felt it necessary to send them to me the situation was far graver than I thought. Something was going to happen and we would need to stand as a united front. The only thing that did not make sense is that Setsuna had not come to me first. There was no warning. That scared me even more than the sudden appearance of the Outers. I feared for my family and my people.

"Inform the other girls that I want at least one of us to be with Usa at all times. We'll use the scout communicators to keep in close contact. She does not go anywhere unaccompanied."

Minako nodded again. "Understood"

I stopped her as she turned to leave. "Minako," I said in all seriousness. "Please be careful."

"It's just like old times, Sailor Moon." she said and she winked at me. Then Minako was gone.

There was one more thing I had to do before making my appearance at the evening festivities. This time I would not be caught off guard by an attack. I made my way back to my chambers in order to retrieve the Imperium Silver Crystal. I've had the crystal in my own personal vault for safe keeping ever since the incident with the NegaMoon.

I moved swiftly down the corridors of the palace taking a round-about way back to the vault. I had my patented smile plastered on my face and cheerfully greeted anyone that crossed my path along the way as though nothing were amiss.

The trip to the vault was uneventful. I still had not caught sight of any of the Outer Scouts. I simply keyed in my password, took the necessary items, and went on my way to the ballroom hall where the party was due to commence. I used a little magic to disguise my communicator and the Silver Crystal as an ordinary piece of jewelry. No one would be the wiser…except perhaps for my husband. Mamoru knows me better than anyone, sometimes better than I know myself.

He was there, waiting for me as I reached the bottom of the palace's main staircase. Mamoru offered his hand to me as I stepped onto the landing and smiled, placing my hand in his offered one.

"Running a little late tonight aren't we?" he teased as he bent to kiss the back of my hand. "You look beautiful."

"Nonsense," I said as I gave his tie a playful tug. "Everyone else is just early. But thank you for the compliment."

I winked at him and he chuckled for me as I linked my arm through his. We moved on into the ballroom hall where the festivities were well underway. The entire scene was perfect. We'd pulled out all the stops for this event. The decorations were exactly as I had instructed; elegant and tasteful, strung up just about everywhere in the carefully lighted hall. A soft classical tune filled the chamber from the sound system Ami and a group of technicians had wired and preprogrammed around the foyer and ballroom yesterday. We had dozens of waiters on staff walking among the crowd with their shiny silver serving trays offering an assortment of cocktail foods and drinks. It seemed like the entire kingdom had turned up for the celebration.

I looked through the crowd as it parted to allow our passage and the people cheered. I ignored the general fan fare however, and devoted my attention to locating the rest of the scouts. They all seemed to be tense and on their guard. I finally spotted Usa chattering enthusiastically with Makoto and I nodded my appreciation to her when I caught her eye.

My daughter and husband were blissfully unaware of what was going on for now. For that I was grateful. I did not want Usa's birthday party ruined if I could help it. I could only hope for one more night of peace before the storm.

"What's wrong?" Mamoru whispered in my ear

He must have caught some small frown on my lips, some change in my expression that conveyed my uneasiness. I shook my head and arranged another bright smile on my face for his benefit. Mamoru didn't look entirely convinced but he subsided.

We continued through the crowd toward the center of the hall just as the first dance was announced. Mamoru and I took our cue to lead the dance. Slowly more couples started to join us until the center floor was full of dancing pairs. I actually began to enjoy myself for a little while and the next few songs went buy in a blur.

It wasn't very long before Minako's prediction that the Outer Scouts would approach me came true. It was the fourth; maybe the fifth song or I may have lost count all together when Haruka tapped Mamoru's shoulder.

In typical Haruka style, she was dressed in an attractive dark blue pants suit. The scout of Uranus had never been one for skirts and dresses.

"May I cut in?" Haruka asked impishly; her lips curved in an amused smirk.

Shock registered on Mamoru's handsome face as he turned to regard the sandy haired woman.

"What are you doing here?" He ground out, glaring at her as his arm tightened around my waist.

Haruka raised an eyebrow at him. She had always enjoyed baiting my husband. "What? I don't get an invite to the princess' birthday party?"

Mamoru growled and I placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. I gave it a reassuring squeeze and kissed his cheek. "It's alright." I assured him.

"Usako, are you sure?

"Yes," I soothed. "Check on Usa would you?"

Mamoru nodded in resignation. "Alright"

He stepped away and Haruka took his place; twirling me around and continuing the dance. She didn't speak immediately but the amused grin was still on her face. "Don't mind him. He's just jealous that I stole you away for a dance." Haruka teased. "It's been a very long time, Kitten."

"Indeed it has." I conceded. "Are you going to tell me why you and the other Outers are here?"

Haruka shook her head solemnly. "You always have been the straight one, haven't you?" "

Then she sighed and relented. "I'm afraid not. Setsuna sent us here without much of an explanation."

She spun me around once more and we glided across the dance floor in companionable silence for a few moments. It was not comforting in the least to find that Setsuna had indeed sent the other Outer Scouts here to Tokyo, and without any explanation as to what to expect.

"Something is going to happen. I just wanted to tell you to be careful and that we will be watching." The song ended with her words and Haruka turned away from me melting back into crowd much the same way that she appeared. I lost sight of her in seconds.

Mamoru was at my side again with a couple of drinks. He handed me one which I accepted gratefully and took a small sip of the sparkling cider. I leaned into his touch as he tucked an errant strand of hair behind my ear.

"What's wrong?" he asked for the second time that night. "I know that something is going on. Tell me."

"I…I'm not sure." I confessed. "I am concerned about the reports we've been getting concerning the vanishing towns people. It's getting a little too close to home."

He frowned at me. "Is that why they are here? You sent for the Outers? Usagi, if you were that worried about something you should have told—"

"No," I said and shook my head for emphasis. "I did not call them here. I think that…I think that Setsuna believes we will need them soon."

I was really starting to worry about the impending danger and at that moment I really needed him to hold me. Mamoru always seemed to know what I needed. He drew me into his strong arms and just held me. I lay my head on his chest and closed my eyes accepting the comfort.

"It's going to be alright." He comforted. "We can overcome anything together."

"We always have." I confirmed, feeling a little more sure of myself.

I looked up at him, smiling faintly and he bent to kiss me. It was a kiss meant to convey so much; our love, our fears, and reassurances, everything that was so much more difficult to convey with just words.

"I love you." I told him.

"And I you, Usako,"

Usa ran up to us about then and tugged at my hand excitedly. "Mommy! It's time for the presents!" she enthused, fairly bouncing in her excitement. She reached for her father's hand and tugged at him as well.

"Come on, Daddy!"

We couldn't help but indulge her eagerness as she led us all the way to the table with the cake and presents. Mamoru and I put our worries aside for a little while as the party progressed. Presents were opened, various foods were served, the cake was cut and there was a lot more dancing. All the while the Scouts, Mamoru and I took turns watching over Usa. I spotted the Outer Scouts every now and then but they kept to the shadows and out of the way.

The evening wore on and it seemed like we were all wound up for nothing at all. The party had gone on without a hitch and the crowd began thinning just before midnight. Usa looked like she could barely keep her eyes open.

I was trying to coax her to finally come upstairs to tuck her into bed when the first explosion shook the castle to its very core. It felt like an earthquake. My first instinct was to clutch my daughter to me and try to weather the aftershock… the rest all happened pretty quickly.

"What's happening?" Usa shouted in alarm, now wide eyed and fully alert. To her credit she wasn't the type of child to go into hysterics that easily. She's braver than I was at her age of that I am sure.

As if on cue; my feline advisors, Luna and Artemis, and a handful of palace guards burst into the ballroom sounding the alarm.

"We're under attack!" one of them shouted, I think it was Artemis, but I couldn't be sure over the sounds of panicked screaming that ensued.

Artemis and a couple of the guards looked a little worse for wear with some minor injuries from the falling debris due to the explosion if I had to take a guess.

Instinctively we all converged on the small group. Mamoru and Minako immediately took control of the situation; giving the guards orders and trying to find out what exactly had happened. My attention was on getting the people to safety. I called for an emergency crew and had Luna, my long time advisor; take control of evacuating the remaining guests.

From what I could tell there were no serious injuries. The palace exterior had taken the brunt of the attack. Between Luna and the emergency crew they were able to calm everyone and keep them moving out of the palace through another exit on the south side.

We transformed into our alter egos then, and the Outer scouts joined us already transformed as well. Usa watched from her perch in my arms as the Outer Scouts, who were strangers to her, approached. She clung to me and hid her face against my shoulder. I could feel her trembling as my hands stroked her back.

"We have to get these two out of here. Now." Haruka said at once as though Usa and I weren't even standing right there abreast of her.

"You are not giving the orders around here." Makoto gritted, her right hand bawling into a fist. Her distaste for the 'Scout of the Wind' was evident in the tone of her voice. They had never liked each other, but now wasn't the time for petty grudges. I had to step in before the situation could escalate.

"Enough!" I said coming to stand between them. "I am not going anywhere. Now is not the time to—"

But Mamoru cut me off. "Uranus is right. You and Usa have to get out of here. The Scouts and I will buy you some time."

The castle shook again and more debris fell. Haruka had just enough time to haul us out of the way of a falling column. I watched it smash and crumble thunderously merely inches away from my feet.

"Usagi, you have to go now!" Ami said joining the general consensus. "Think about Usa. She needs you."

"I can't just leave all of you behind!" I cried in anguish.

Usa squirmed in my arms for the first time and reached for her father, "Daddy, no! You have to come with us."

"It's going to be OK sweet heart. We'll be right behind you. Be strong and take care of your Mom for me in the mean time."

Usa nodded; her expression tight. I set her down and she gave her father a hug. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to argue; to find some other way to get my daughter to safety without having to leave my husband and friends behind, but the only other solution was to send one of the Scouts away with Usa. I didn't think that any of them would appreciate the suggestion, but I decided to plead with them anyway.

"One of you should go. I could..."

"Don't be ridiculous, Meatball Head." Rei told me. "You are going with Small Lady and that is final. So get moving! It doesn't look like we have a lot of time."

I wanted to argue some more, but I knew that I had already lost. I grabbed a fist full of Mamoru's shirt and pulled him to me. "You damn well better keep that promise." I kissed him and finally released his shirt, turning to each of my friends meeting each of their eyes in turn. "All of you better be careful."

"Get out of here Sailor Moon!" Makoto shouted over the noise. "Move!"

I felt Usa grab my hand and give it a firm tug. "Let's go, Mommy."

I acquiesced, and allowed her to lead me away. We headed toward the same southern exit that I had sent Luna to evacuate the guests through. The ballroom spills out into another antechamber with exits and another spiral staircase that takes us back upstairs. I almost bumped into Usa when she stopped dead in her tracks.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked anxiously when I couldn't see any immediate danger.

"Mommy, we can't leave Diana and Luna P!" she insisted.

Before I could react she let go of my hand and was racing for the stairs instead of the exit. I called after her, but it was no use. I cursed under my breath and up the stairs I went in hot pursuit.

I was glad that we didn't have to go far. The hallway was covered in a thick fog of smoke and debris, but I could tell that we were heading in the direction of Usa's bedroom. We ran into Diana about half way to the room running full tilt toward us as fast as her little furry paws could carry her. The 'Luna P' ball that always seems to follow my daughter around was there as well. Usa wasted no time in reaching for the magical ball.

"Change!" she commanded and it turned into something better suited to her needs; a backpack.

"What's happening?" Diana demanded after she'd caught her breath.

There wasn't much time to explain and Usa wordlessly scooped the small kitten off the floor, tucked her into one of the pockets of her new bag and left the zipper partially open before shouldering the pack.

"Come on!" she said to me, retaking my hand and back tracking it to the stairs.

The explosions continued one after the other. My heart hammered uncomfortably in my chest as we ran stumbling along clumsily, barely able to see anything. The lights kept flickering and I wasn't sure how much longer they would hold out. I did not know how we would make it back down in such conditions.

I could hear the battle raging on not far from us. They were close and I ached to go to the aid of my friends, but somehow I had to keep moving. I had to keep my daughter out of danger. I could not turn back. I promised myself that once I made sure that Usa was safe I would come back for my friends.

We'd made it to the top of the steps when it hit me. The pain hit me so hard that it knocked the breath right out of me like a physical blow and almost sent me tumbling down the stairs. It had taken all of Usa's strength to yank me back and we stumbled backward onto the tiled floor. Ami was gone. Don't ask me how I knew or how I could have possibly felt such a thing, but I did. I can't even begin to explain it. It was like a light being extinguished. The pain of it was so strong it almost defeated me.

Usa crawled over to me and shook me. "Momma, let's go! We have to get out of here."

It was the panic in her voice that finally got through to me. The sounds of the battle came to a terrible crescendo and I surged to my feet again as though the hounds of hell themselves were upon us. I took hold of Usa's hand and we started our descent.

We'd only taken two or three steps down when the stairs splintered and shattered beneath our feet and we plunged into the darkness screaming. I felt my grip on Usa's hand slip from the force of the blow. I tried to reach her, but I wasn't able to. I went down hard, smacking my head on the marble floor below. I felt a large piece of glass pierce my midsection. I cried out as the wave of pain washed over me and nearly took me under. I was dazed and couldn't focus on anything but the pain. I couldn't move. Then the world seemed to shift on its axis and I was lifted off the floor by a hand around my neck. My vision began to fade to gray as I gasped for air.

That was the moment I thought I was going to die. The hand of my attacker tightened and I couldn't breathe. I stopped struggling just long enough to see the silhouette of a girl that could only have been Sailor Saturn. The shape of her glaive was unmistakable. I could have smiled if I had the strength. She would put an end to this. Even if I died, she would rid the world of the evil that was coming off of this creature in waves. I felt the pressure on my neck lessen a little as Saturn made her presence known.

No words were exchanged. Even as I struggled to maintain consciousness I could see the shift in Saturn's stance. The way she held the glaive was significant. She raised its point and swung, bringing the blade to strike the ground. Three things happened all at once. Saturn's glaive struck the ground. The Silver Crystal resonated with energy. A flash of multicolored lights engulfed everything and it was the last thing I could remember happening before the light extinguished and the world faded to black.


	3. FORWARD

_Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi_

_New Mobile Report Gundam Wing belongs to Masashi Ikeda, Sunrise Studios, TV Asahi & Bandai Entertainment. Illustration by Kōichi Tokita._

_I own nothing!_

**FORWARD**

_After Colony 194 – L4 Colony Cluster_

_**Usagi:**_

'_Rise and shine Meatball head, this is not the time to be laying down on the job…'_

'_Sailor Moon, you can't give up now…'_

'_We believe in you Sailor Moon…'_

'_It's just like old times Sailor Moon. You just have to wake up…'_

'_Mommy, you can't leave me all alone…'_

'_Wake up!'_

"Miss Usa, come now, you must eat something."

"I'm not hungry!"

"You have to understand that it may be a while before your mother wakes up."

"I'm not leaving. I don't want her to wake up and not find me here. My Mommy would never leave me."

"Please be reasonable —"

"No! Just go away."

I started to wake up to the sounds of an argument. The first voice was definitely male, but not one I recognized. The second voice, I knew was my daughter's. I tried to focus on her voice. Had it been Usa's voice calling me back? My friends? Where…

I started to open my eyes and instantly regretted it. It was too bright. The lights were too harsh. I made a tiny sound of discomfort and squeezed my eyes shut again. Usa's voice came to me.

"Mommy!" she cried. "Oh please… please be awake."

I felt her hands on my face brushing a few stray strands of hair away and I tried to open my eyes once more. It was better the second time. I blinked a little until I was finally able to focus on her face. My eyes watered a little bit but they were beginning to adjust. I felt as the bed dipped when Usa climbed onto it. It looked as though was torn between wanting to hug me and not wanting to hurt me in the process. I attempted to raise my hand; wanting to touch her face, but I found that the movement tugged on something. I winced and realized that I was hooked up to an IV. I smiled for her instead, hoping to ease her anxiety.

"Hey, Munchkin," I managed weakly.

"Hi"

Usa tried to smile in return, but tears rolled down her cheeks. Her eyes were all red and puffy.

"Careful." she admonished as she fussed with the blankets and adjusted the IV line so that it wasn't tugging anymore. "You don't want to pull on anything."

"It's okay." I soothed. "I'm alright."

I don't think my voice made the statement sound very convincing. My throat felt dry and really sore. It was a real effort to say anything at all. I was feeling nauseous too which didn't help matters. All in all it sort of felt like I'd been run over by a truck. I think that would be the most accurate description anyway. I wasn't about to express this information to my daughter though. I didn't want to scare her anymore than she already was.

"I will go inform Master Quatre." the male voice said.

I had almost forgotten he was there. It startled me to hear the man speak again. Usa waved him off and he left the room quickly. I reached with my free hand to wipe away the remainder of her tears and she managed to stop crying. She worked on putting her brave face together again by busying herself with getting some water for me from a pitcher on a nearby table.

"Where are we?" I wanted to know after I'd had a few sips of the water; which helped the dryness in my throat. It is rather unsettling to wake up somewhere you've never been. I certainly did not recognize this place. The room we were in had the feel of a hospital, but that is about as close as I could describe it.

Usa shook her head. "I'm not sure that I can explain it right. We're on a...space colony. I think that's what Quatre called it."

Quatre? This was the second time I heard the name. Usa seemed to be familiar with whoever this Quatre person was. How many days had I been in this room? I couldn't remember anything after Saturn unleashed her attack. Had it been a few days or weeks since then? How had we gotten here?

"How long—"

I was cut off from questioning Usa when someone knocked on the door. A young boy of about fifteen years old walked into the room. He was a blond with blue eyes, and kind of reminded me of me when I was younger. If I didn't know any better I'd have sworn we were related. He looked a little too dressed up to be a teenaged boy though; like some kind of foreign dignitary who has more shirts and ties in his closet than he does t-shirts and jeans.

Diana was perched on his shoulder as though she belonged there and I had to wonder about that. I wanted to know what went on while I was seemingly 'dead to the world'.

"You're awake," he stated with a smile. "We were really beginning to worry. How do you feel?"

I thought about that. I had yet to take a full inventory of my injuries, so I didn't know for sure. Everything still felt kind of surreal and hazy probably from whatever drugs they were feeding me through the IV. I didn't think that this kid would appreciate my "run over by a truck" diagnosis anymore than Usa would either.

"I'm okay I think. A little sore, maybe," I replied uncertainly, "And you must be Quatre?"

"Yes, Quatre Raberba Winner. This is my home on the L4 colony."

I raised an eyebrow. I had never heard of space colonies or any place called L4. It was so bizarre. I mean I knew it wasn't impossible for human civilization to expand and colonize space. I'd learned about the Lagrange points and all of the possibilities, but in my time, we had never taken that leap. Something was seriously wrong. We shouldn't have ended up here.

"Right, so...I'm not in a hospital." I stated rhetorically, because, Quatre had just confirmed my suspicions. I closed my eyes and swallowed uncomfortably. "How did we get here? How long have I been out?"

Quatre had moved further into the room and close enough that Diana could jump onto the bed from his shoulder. She hopped onto the mattress and stared at me before letting out a plaintive meow. I smiled letting her know that I understood what she wanted to convey without words. Diana had not revealed herself as a talking cat here and I was not about to give up her secret. She scooted up the bed to where I could reach her and head-butted my hand. I obliged by petting her and Diana curled up between Usa and I.

"It's been...about a week." He guessed. "I don't know how the two of you got here exactly. It was the strangest thing. There was this incredible flash of light north of the compound and I sent some of my employees to investigate. They discovered both of you on site and brought you back to the house. You were in particularly terrible condition, so I had a few of my doctors treat you and patch Usa up. The doctors said you were making a remarkably fast recovery, but they couldn't explain why you weren't waking up."

"Oh god..." I breathed. I couldn't believe it; the Earth, my home, my friends and family, all gone. I bit back on the tears and the urge to go into hysterics. I couldn't let myself fall apart in front of Usa.

"Are you alright?" Quatre asked, immediately concerned at the sudden change in my expression. Usa started to look anxious again.

I took a shaky breath and nodded.

"I...yes — yes I'm fine. Thank you for your concern…and for everything you've done for us. I just…I need some time to think."

Quatre nodded and smiled faintly though he looked a little uncertain. "That's quite understandable. I'll have dinner brought up and you two can have some time to yourselves. We can talk later. The staff is at your disposal should either of you need anything. I have some work to do but I'll be around as well."

"That sounds good." I agreed.

He nodded and turned to leave.

"It's perfectly safe here." He added almost as an afterthought, his hand on the door knob and his back turned to me, "No one is going to hurt you again."

Quatre left the room before I could respond to that, and it was just as well, because, there was really nothing that I could have said. He had probably drawn his own conclusions about my situation and whatever they may be, it was probably better than trying to explain the truth. Nothing would change the feeling of complete helplessness. I had no idea what we were going to do now. We had no home to go back to, and waking up in a world that I virtually knew nothing about was going to make life...interesting. Apparently Usa was thinking the same thing.

"We're all that is left" she stated unnecessarily. She looked so stricken that I thought she was going to cry again.

"Yes, but we've got each other. We're going to be okay," I promised; voice tight.

"I'm scared."

"Me too, honey. Me too."

"We can't both be scared!" she protested burying her face against my shoulder. Her voice came out sounding muffled.

"Then we have to start being brave. I know that none of this will be easy for either of us," I said, and ran my good hand through her cotton candy hair, "but we have to move forward."

"Together?" she asked uncertainly, "you won't leave me...will you?"

"Never!" I promised. "I'm not going to leave you."

I knew she was thinking of Mamoru's last promise to her, the same promise he had made to me, and it hurt that he would not get to keep that promise. It left Usa feeling so uncertain about everyone and everything. She needed an anchor and I was going to have to pull myself together and be that anchor for her.

Time has a habit of slipping by quickly before you take notice. Have you ever watched the minutes tick by on a clock? If you pay too close attention the minutes seem to drag like a grain of sand through an hour glass. And yet, if you find some sort of distraction, anything at all, time seems to have passed you by faster than you would have expected.

Usa and I took our new life one day at a time and it wasn't easy. Life on the colonies is different. Things feel... a little artificial. There is nothing natural about the weather here on L4. I suppose there is one benefit to artificial nature; the weather man can never be wrong. It was not easy for me to get used to that. Keeping busy helped, but it still took a long time to get adjusted to my new life.

The first few weeks since waking up were the most difficult. Recovery was slow and especially frustrating since I knew I could speed up the process with the Silver Crystal. I decided against using it though. My circumstances were already strange enough without using my powers.

After my recovery however, I insisted on getting some sort of job. I've grown rather fond of Quatre and I refused to continue leeching off of his generous hospitality. It took some convincing, but eventually Quatre relented and introduced me to his father so that I could get a job in the company. Unfortunately it was not as easy as just an introduction. Zayeed Winner is a wonderful man. I could see where Quatre gets his morals and values from. Mr. Winner had every intention of helping me, but I couldn't be hired yet. This was another ordeal that we had to face before I could function properly in society.

As far as the colonies and the United Earth Sphere Alliance were concerned, Usa and I did not exist. It took some of the Winner influence to get me proper identification papers and the documents necessary. Zayeed had to claim me as his daughter. I was no longer a Tsukino or Chiba. I had become Usagi Winner and no matter where I went on L4, people did not let me forget that. I came to realize just how much influence the Winners really had. I wasn't too fond of the attention it attracted, especially when the household staff started referring to me as "Madam" or "Miss Usagi."

The weeks seemed to pass uninhibited the more engrossed I became with working and learning new things. Even Usa seemed to be in better spirits when she had the distraction of school books and tutors. Life became a routine. I went off to work with the Winners in the morning and Usa had various tutors come in throughout the day. At night we'd all have dinner together then Usa and I would retire to our room where she'd tell me all about her day.

Usa is a very intelligent child and showed lots of enthusiasm in her lessons. Putting all her effort into her studies seems to help her cope. For me, coping was a matter of just not thinking about the past. I couldn't let myself break down in front of Usa. I just put everything behind me and locked it all away. I had developed a tunnel vision of sorts; always looking forward instead of worrying about what I left behind.

Some nights after putting Usa to bed I would notice that Quatre is particularly stressed out and he would play his violin. On these nights we would go to the sitting room where I would stretch out on the couch and Quatre would play his beautiful music. These moments were both a blessing and a curse. I close my eyes and imagine that it is Michiru playing. Some of the tunes are even familiar. This is the only time that I let two lifetimes worth of memories consume me. So many good memories plagued by so much tragedy. The silent tears come unbidden and this is the only release I have from so much pain. I think Quatre understands and he plays as much for me as he does for himself.

It was on such a night that Quatre and I settled into our familiar routine. He played one of his pretty melodies and I curled up on the couch with an afghan to listen. I closed my eyes and just let my mind wander. After some time the music came to a stop serving to bring me out of my self induced stupor.

Quatre sighed and sat heavily in one of the armchairs. I glanced at him curiously and wondered what had brought on this abrupt stop. When I opened my mouth to inquire he shook his head. We lapsed into a comfortable silence until he got to his feet again looking like he'd come to some sort of decision.

"Let's go for a walk" he told me.

His proposal did not come as a surprise. Going for walks had become a part of our repertoire as well. Sometimes we just talked, other times we simply enjoyed each other's company in silence. I nodded my agreement and stood with the afghan draped around my shoulders, slipping my feet back into my shoes before following Quatre outdoors.

When we talk, Quatre never asks me about my past. Whether out of respect or simply not wanting to stir up some of my bad memories I'll never know. He is really good at steering clear of uncomfortable subjects. I've always sincerely appreciated the effort since there isn't much about my past I want to discuss. I am not the same person I had been and I can't seem to reconcile with the past anymore. I can't move forward if I dwell on what my life had been and could have been back then.

We carried on a light conversation mostly whatever came to mind yet never quite touching on what was bothering him. Quatre's weariness about asking me to join him tonight still nagged at me. The path we took on our walk also seemed to have purpose unlike the aimless strolling around the gardens I was accustomed to.

I finally caved and decided to voice my concern, "so where are we going, Little Brother?"

He smiled sheepishly when he realized that I'd caught on.

"You'll see. There is someone I'd like you to meet."

I had to wonder about what kind of person we'd be meeting this late at night. Thankfully I wouldn't be left wondering for long. Our journey took us to the warehouses located at the farthest end of the Winner property. Quatre never offered me any access to the warehouses, and I never bothered to ask. I had written them off as part of the corporation's production line which only Zayeed , Quatre and the other executives needed to concern themselves with.

We stopped in front of the security panel of what was probably the tallest structure. Quatre keyed in a sequence of access codes on the blue lighted panel and was rewarded by the loud hissing sound of the heavy metal doors opening. He led me inside, passing several pieces of heavy machinery and things covered by industrial tarps. I noticed the interior of the warehouse was completely reinforced with heavy-duty steel and concrete. It seemed like everything was sound proofed as well. There hadn't been any noise while we were on the outside.

Quatre remained silent as he picked his way across the bay through the maze of equipment and running machinery. I looked around in awe. There were many things in this warehouse that I had never even seen in my life. The advances in technology on L4 always blow my mind. I couldn't help but be curious about everything. Quatre chuckled at my enthusiasm and patiently answered all questions I threw at him.

Before I knew it we were standing in front what appeared to be the main attraction. It looked like some sort of metal armored giant.

"What in the world is _that_?" I asked in astonishment.

"This is Sandrock." and there was a strange sense of affection laced in his tone.

I raised an eyebrow at him, "but _what_ is it?"

A bark of laughter coming from behind me interrupted Quatre before he could explain.

"XXXG-01SR is a mobile suit." the laughing voice said. "seven and a half metric tons of Gundanium Alloy"


	4. MOBILE

_Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi_

_New Mobile Report Gundam Wing belongs to Masashi Ikeda, Sunrise Studios, TV Asahi & Bandai Entertainment. Illustration by Kōichi Tokita._

_I own nothing!_

**MOBILE**

_After Colony 195 – Sahara Desert; Earth_

_**Usagi:**_

_I'm home._

Or at least as close to home as I can be after living on the L4 colony for so long. This Earth is the closest I've been to anything remotely resembling what I used to call home in about a year. There is absolutely nothing like the feeling of real wind and rain, or the rays of the sun on bare skin.

Seven months ago I met Instructor H; an engineering genius and Quatre's mentor. I hadn't known then that my life would change again, but I've come to learn to roll with the punches. My life gets turned upside down on a regular basis. There is a pretty good chance that once this is over things will change again.

The good instructor is part of a resistance group against the Organization of the Zodiac; an organization whose main goal is to take control of the Earth. I wasn't told much, but according to Quatre, things were about to get pretty serious. The resistance was about to launch a major operation against OZ; an operation that involves Quatre and the Gundam Sandrock, a hulking mobile suit made of a rare metal called gundanium alloy. The Gundam is a machine made for war.

The night that my little brother introduced me to Instructor H, they asked me to join the resistance; to stop OZ from taking over and starting an all out war. I owed Quatre enough to at least hear them out. I've never been one to advocate for war or violence but in the end I decided that I would do whatever I could to help. I believed in their cause and I couldn't continue to be so naïve. Peace always comes at a price.

I stopped working for Winner Corp. and immediately threw myself into rigorous training with Quatre. It gave me focus and I have to admit that I enjoyed the physical exertion. I felt alive for the first time in years.

Then just about a week ago, Usa, Diana, and I arrived on Earth at a crowded space port, for all intents and purposes looking like colony tourists. I was supposed to await further instructions and just stay put. It didn't take long for Quatre's contacts; Rashid and the Maganac Corps to smuggle us away to their camp where we would be staying.

The camp is located somewhere in the Sahara; surrounded by desert sand with the ever constant blistering sun on our backs. The Maganacs welcomed us among their ranks with open arms. Usa and I are happy here, easily adapting to a very simple life. I wasn't fond of the scalding hot desert sand that seemed to get into everything and _anything_ uninhibited, but I reveled in the fact that it was all natural. The colonies couldn't possibly fabricate anything like it.

I was anxious though. I knew Quatre's arrival on Earth would not be so simple. He would join us soon with Sandrock but there were many possibilities that things could go wrong. I was afraid for him. The fight against OZ would begin with what the resistance called: Operation Meteor.

I sat outside the tent Usa and I share in desert fatigues, a matching tank top, and a pair of desert terrain boots laced up on my feet. I had one of Usa's home study books open on my lap and I was leafing through the next chapter that we would have to work on together though my heart really wasn't in it. I was too worried about my little brother to concentrate.

I sighed and took a swig out of the water canteen next to me as I watched Rashid, the Maganac Leader, approach. His towering form cast a shadow shielding my eyes from the garish sun. I was able to look up at him without squinting.

He smirked at me, "we might have to get you a pair of goggles like Master Quatre's soon, Miss Usagi"

I shook my head and laughed, "Nah, they wouldn't look as cool on me."

He chuckled and hunkered down beside me. I welcomed the company. After living here for such a short time I haven't learned much about the quiet leader of the Maganacs. What I do believe is that he shares in my concern for Quatre. There is genuine concern for my little brother in his eyes. Rashid is a very reserved man, but I see great wisdom, strength and compassion in him. I don't have a single complaint about him or his men. They are a family and they'd welcomed me and mine as though we were family too.

"You are worried about Master Quatre." He stated, not really looking at me but at the sand dunes ahead of us instead.

"I am." I said not bothering to hide the truth. I would be a bundle of nerves until Quatre arrived safely. There was no sense in denying it.

He nodded.

"He will be alright. Master Quatre is a very resourceful young man." Rashid said at length sounding as though he were trying to convince himself as much as me.

"I know." I agreed, holding on to that resolve. I needed to believe that I wouldn't lose Quatre like I'd lost almost everyone else in my life, but as the wind picked in lieu of the coming storm, the dread in the pit of my stomach to deep seated root and spread like poison.

"The wind is picking up." Rashid noted, echoing my thoughts. "We should take cover soon. Will you be alright?"

"We'll be fine. Can I help the crew with anything?" I asked.

"We have to cover the mobile suits. An extra pair of hands would be welcome."

"Lead the way" I grinned, grateful for something to occupy my time with.

I stood with him, dusting off the sand though it was useless by this point and followed in his wake toward the sand dune where the smaller mobile suits of the Maganacs were hidden.

Unfortunately, the sand was as much a hazard as it was an ally in keeping the suits hidden. Getting sand in the hydraulics of the unit for example, would be disastrous. They needed to be covered up and shielded from the coming storm with large, heavy, sandy colored tarps.

The entire group hastened to pitch in and get the job done before it was too late. Before long, the sun was setting and the wind had picked up enough to send us all sprinting for the cover of our tents.

Usa and I settled in to wait out the storm; spending some time studying with her text books and playing a few card games. Eventually we laid out our sleeping bags and fell asleep.

I'm not sure how much time passed before the sounds of cheers and jubilant voices woke me up; a couple hours at least. Drowsy from sleep; it took me a moment to realize what all the happy noise meant.

Quatre made it!

I scrambled out of my sleeping bag and tent, eager to see him for myself. Having been roused by the noise as well; Usa was right on my heels as we ran full tilt toward the little cluster of people at the center of camp.

There he was standing in the middle of the group. Quatre was still wearing the space suit he traveled in on Sandrock, but the fastenings were undone and I could see button down shirt he'd worn underneath. I almost laughed. Leave it to my little brother to wear a button down and slacks underneath a space suit.

"Kat!" I shouted; and the rest of the Maganacs made way for us as I reached to pull Quatre into my arms for a hug.

"I was so worried…" I murmured against his hair, holding on to him as though he might disappear at any moment. I was beyond relieved.

"I'm here. I'm okay." He reassured me. "We had no trouble getting through."

The reassurance was all I needed. Grinning, I stepped back and moved out of Usa's way. She reached for him then too and Quatre immediately scooped her up into his arms.

"You made it!" she exclaimed.

"Of course I did." Quatre replies with a laugh, ruffling her already sleep mussed hair.

Usa giggled and hugged him while everyone took their turn in welcoming the illustrious young Winner heir to camp. It was a loud and raucous celebration as the men rekindled the camp fire and set about the task of making tea and dinner for Quatre though he'd insisted that they shouldn't go through the trouble of doing so.

They all had stories to tell. I learned a great deal about the Maganacs that night as we sat around the fire and told tales. I was completely fascinated even with Quatre who managed to let his business persona fall away to reveal a completely different person. I knew this is who my little brother really was beneath the Winner name and his association with his father's company. He is just a boy; all heart and compassion, the makings of a great leader.

Some hours later, the group huddled around the fire started to thin out. Usa had already fallen asleep in Quatre's arms and he carried her back to our tent. Diana, who'd been lurking inside my duffle bag in an attempt to keep sand out of her fur, emerged and curled herself beside my daughter to sleep. Once they were settled, Quatre and I sat outside the tent to talk.

"You really had no trouble getting through?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

"None. But the inbound trip was the easy part. We have a couple of hours to sleep then we'll have to pack things up here and move out."

I nodded accepting the news though I had hoped that we would have more time before things were set in motion. Time just didn't seem to be on our side. If they were already moving forward with Sandrock that meant H probably had plans for me as well.

"What do they need me to do?"

"I don't know" Quatre replied, looking a little disconcerted. "I have a package for you stowed away on Sandrock. One of the Maganacs will drive you back to the space port in the morning. Get a hotel room and open the package then. I suppose you'll have your instructions and whatever else you'll need."

"I'm sure it won't be anything too dangerous" I assured him, placing my hand over his and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

I could tell that Quatre was uncomfortable not knowing what task they had charged me with and where they were sending to.

"Usagi, please be careful. I would hate for anything to happen to you. It would be my fault for bringing you into this."

"I will be fine Kat." I said using the nickname I'd given him in an attempt to assuage him, "I've been through so much worse. You have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. I could have said no and walked away, but I wanted to do this. I want to help you."

Quatre seemed unconvinced but let the subject drop, the corner of his lips curving into a half smile. We said our good nights then, and he retired to his own tent to sleep. I tried to do the same, but found myself lying awake on my sleeping bag for hours that night unable to sleep.

I caught the sunrise the following morning. The men were already up and about by the crack of dawn and I joined them. Stripping out my clothes, I washed up as best I could and threw on something that wouldn't draw too much attention at the space port; jeans and an olive green, long sleeve shirt. I laced up my desert boots knowing that those would still be necessary for now. After rousing Usa and Diana, I set off to help the Maganacs pack up our large camp.

The camp was reduced to nothing within the hour. We were thorough in making sure that there was no trace of us left behind. The last thing I did was pack all of mine and Usa's belongings in backpacks and put Diana into a pet carrier. Faiz, one of the younger Maganac boys, was loading our things into the truck that would be taking us back up to the space port when Quatre approached.

He came bearing a shiny, sleek metal briefcase. I finished buckling Usa into her seat and turned to meet him. Without preamble, Quatre handed me the complicated looking briefcase, none too pleased about doing so. I took the weight of the case in my hands and noted it was heavier than it looked, but the weight alone wasn't enough to tell me what I would find inside.

"The case is print locked. Only your thumb print will open it." Quatre explained before I could ask.

Suddenly all of the preliminary work that I'd believed was security precautions made more sense; the finger printing, DNA samples, digital recordings of my voice and the dozen or so head shots they'd taken of me were more than just for the sake of security. I nodded and added the briefcase to my luggage on the truck.

Quatre hugged me and I fervently hoped that this temporary parting of ways wouldn't become permanent. I couldn't even bare to say good bye.

"Be safe, Usagi." He admonished and then Quatre was leaning into the truck saying good bye to my daughter.

The entire Maganac crew came to see us off and I had a hard time keeping myself from bursting into tears. I'd only been with them for a very short period of time, not long enough to really get to know them well, but I knew that I would miss them.

It was time to go though, and I couldn't afford to break down. Faiz started the truck, as I climbed into the passenger seat and we drove off. The last thing I saw in the side-view mirror was Sandrock; its gundanium metal glinting in the sun.

The trip out to the space port was a sedate drive that went on for more hours than I cared to count. Faiz wasn't much of a conversationalist and Usa had already fallen asleep in the back seat a few minutes after we left camp so I found myself drifting between sleep and awareness. A couple of times I'd tried fiddling with the old trucks radio, but that proved to be a fruitless endeavor. So I gave it up.

The car ride was just too quiet and I was anxious for it to be over. It was a relief to finally be pulling into the port. I climbed out of the car and stretched, pleased to be outside of the confines of the truck.

Once again Faiz helped me with the luggage and then I lifted a sleeping Usa out of the back seat. The young Maganac stayed with us until we were safely in a cab. I wondered briefly why Quatre had instructed Faiz to leave me at the port instead of directly to the hotel but I figured it was just some sort of precaution.

I gave the driver instructions to take us to the nearest hotel which ended up being a couple of blocks away. I wasn't surprised; even here in Egypt, hotels are usually based around air and space ports for the sake of convenience.

I overpaid the cab driver once we got to our destination and he graciously waited for me to get checked into the hotel and for the bell boy to come help with the luggage. We didn't have much, but I wouldn't have been able to balance all of it along with the sleeping seven year old in my arms

The bell boy escorted us to a room on the third floor and I tipped him generously as well. I had no idea what to do with myself once I'd settled Usa into one of the beds. I sat there for several minutes just trying to convince myself to open the briefcase. Annoyed with myself for being so apprehensive, I reached for the case when of course at that moment my daughter decided she'd scare the wits out of me. I'd been so concentrated on the case that she startled me when she pounced from her bed to mine giggling.

"This" _bounce_ "is" _bounce_ "so" _bounce_ "cool!"

I laughed, "Come here you little rabbit."

I held my arms open for her and she bounced into them in a fit of giggles. I tickled her and we both dissolved into laughter. It'd been a while since we'd had a mother daughter moment like this.

"This is nice, Momma." She said once the giggles subsided and we caught our breath.

She was looking around the hotel room now and walked over to let Diana out of her carrier.

The room wasn't anything fancy; it was carpeted and furnished with two beds with the cliché hotel linens, a desk, an entertainment unit, a mini fridge, microwave, and a bathroom. All and all it was homey and clean which was the important thing.

"Finally!" Diana exclaimed. "I was wondering when you two would get around to letting me out. I'm starving!"

"I'm getting kind hungry myself." I admitted, "What do you think munchkin? Shall we order pizza?"

Usa made a face at the nickname but nodded eagerly. "Pizza sounds awesome."

"Pizza it is then." I said as Diana stretched and hopped onto my lap.

"Anchovies or something with chicken on it for me, please." She said.

"Ewe gross, Diana! Anchovies?" Usa protested.

"Well, I am a cat you know." Diana replied with an indignant flick of her tail.

"I'll see what I can do." I said with a laugh.

Flipping through the little advertisement booklet left on the hotel room desk, I found what we were looking for; a national and very commercial pizza chain that seemed to be pretty popular. I remembered seeing a billboard somewhere for it…

I picked up the hotel phone and dialed the number, placing an order for a simple large cheese pizza, a personal sized pizza with anchovies for Diana and two soft drinks.

It was nice that Diana could talk to us now that we were away from prying eyes. She'd had very few opportunities to do so, and I know she had to be getting tired of pretending. With a pang of guilt I was reminded of my teenage years when I first met Luna, Diana's mother. Luna always had to pretend that she was a normal cat of the non-talking variety. You could imagine my surprise the first time that Luna ever spoke to me. I will always miss her, but with a sigh I pushed the depressing thoughts away before they could consume me. I wanted to stay upbeat for the sake of Diana and Usa. Times like these were a rare treat and I didn't want to ruin their good moods with thoughts of the past.

With the pizza order placed, Usa and I took turns in the shower. I was out by the time the delivery boy knocked on the door. I paid for the food and we all sat around the little round dinette table furnished by the hotel.

I have to admit that the first bite of pizza was absolute bliss. I'd nearly forgotten how good it tastes since pizza hadn't been a staple at the palace in Crystal Tokyo nor at the Winner Estate on L4. We hadn't indulged in a meal like this in a long time. Usa and I nearly polished off the entire pizza by ourselves.

After we cleared out the remnants of our lunch we spent the rest of the day lounging around the room watching TV, playing cards and going over Usa's home study workbook. The less people saw of us, the better.

The entire time I was anxious about the briefcase. I was hesitant to open it in front of my daughter because there was just no telling what I would find inside. I didn't want her worrying about anything along with me.

It wasn't until after I'd gotten Usa into her pajamas and tucked into bed later that night, that I was finally able to open the brief case. Pressing my thumb to the sensor on the case it opened with an audible hiss. Startled by the sudden noise I glanced over to Usa on the other bed and could only see Diana's eyes gleaming back at me in the dark. Usa was still sound asleep.

Sighing in relief I opened the case further to reveal the contents; a laptop, a folder full of documents, and a 9mm fire arm with plenty of spare ammunition. I expected the gun but seeing it there was a bit of a shock anyway. I hated the thought of having to use it. As Sailor Moon I never had to kill anyone, at least not a human being…

The thought of ending someone's life was daunting, but I stopped being naïve a long time ago. I learned how to use the weapon and I wasn't about to hesitate using it in a dire situation. Hesitation now would only get me killed.

I proceeded to go through the documents in the folder first, feeling Diana's slight weight on my shoulder as she perched there to look at the documents with me. She didn't comment as I went through several files; various forms of identification all forged for both me and my daughter. Passports, birth certificates, ID cards and various other official looking documents that I would need; they were all flawless. I spent at least an hour looking through the entire folder.

"Is this going to be safe, Usagi?" Diana whispered in a great imitation of her mother as I contemplated the best way to change my hair. The odangos would have to go for sure, and I would have to see about Usa as well.

"I don't know." I confessed, "But I'm not going to worry about that now. We should get some sleep. There is a lot to do tomorrow."

Diana hopped off my shoulder and I began stowing everything back into the case. Tomorrow would be a big day. I couldn't let my fears overwhelm me when I needed to stay focused.

"Good night, Usagi" Diana whispered as she curled up next to Usa again on the other bed.

"Good night, Diana"

I curled up under my own blanket and thankfully sleep came quickly.

xxxxx

Early the next morning, I woke up with both Usa and Diana in bed with me. She was nearly hidden underneath a bundle of blankets while Diana was wound up into a tiny ball of fur above Usa's cotton candy hair like a little hat. At that moment I wished I had a camera to take pictures.

After watching them for a few moments, Usa began to stir. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes she stretched and yawned.

"Morning, Momma' she said while stifling another yawn.

"Good morning"

Diana stirred at the sound of our voices, ears twitching she uncoiled from her ball blinking at us sleepily.

"What time is it?" she asked in between yawns.

"Time to get up" I replied simply, smirking as I moved to sit at the side of the bed.

There was a simultaneous groan from both child and feline as Usa tried to burrow back under the covers.

"It's too early" she complained, her voice muffled by the pillows and blankets.

"It most certainly is not." I informed her as I pulled the blankets away and tickled her.

She laughed and squirmed all over the place "Okay…okay! I give up!"

"Good, come on we have a lot to do today."

Having coaxed her out of bed, I sent Usa into the shower while I ordered room service for breakfast.

I took the time to gather all of our belongings though there wasn't much; a lot of our stuff was still packed. Once I was done, I took the laptop out of the briefcase and booted it up. I needed a game plan and I was sure I'd find all of the information I needed on the computer.

As I expected there were a couple of encrypted files in the hard drive, one of them containing the location of the safe house I needed to get to as well as information about the school I was supposed to be infiltrating. I couldn't imagine what a school would have to do with the grand scheme of things until I saw the file about the girl; Relena Darlian, the daughter of a Vice Foreign Minister and representative of the UESA. Miss Darlian is a student at the prestigious academy I was headed to.

_Bodyguard detail? _I wondered. I couldn't believe that they wanted me to watch over this girl like a common babysitter. I frowned, thinking that H must have been laughing his ass off when he sent this to me with Quatre. He wanted me to _teach_ too. I'd hated school as a teenager; the irony of this mission was just laughable. It had to be some sort of cosmic joke. Then again… it was obvious that this kid was important; otherwise I didn't think the resistance would waste their time.

After reading Darlian's file I closed up the laptop. Usa was out of the shower and room service had arrived with our meals.

"So where are we going?" Usa asked after swallowing a mouth full of scrambled eggs.

"You'll see" I told her as I took the paper cup of coffee to my lips for a sip. "We have a long way to go from here."

"Can't we just stay here for a while? I hate moving."

"No can do, Kiddo." I said wishing not for the first time that I could have left her and Diana back on L4. They would have been safer there than here with me; but Usa could not deal with such separation after losing her father. She'd pitched such a fit when I suggested it that I was afraid she'd go catatonic.

Needless to say, H had not been happy when I told him my daughter would have to come to Earth with me. In the end however, he decided that a child would help cement my cover. After all how dangerous could a woman with a little girl be?

"We're going to be on the move for a while. Remember I told you this is what it would be like if you came with me." I said patiently.

She nodded quietly and we let the subject drop.

We finished our meal and I went through our luggage one more time to make sure everything was in order, double checking that we had the right passports and paperwork set aside for our trip. I booked a flight to Tokyo, Japan and tried not to think about how it felt like we were going back home. I wondered if the Japan of this Earth was anything like ours; fortunately I wouldn't have to wonder for long. The flight would be departing in three hours...

_**Post Note from the Author: **__Sorry for the long wait folks! Hope everyone has enjoyed the chapter! Please read and review!_

_Also, I've been reading a lot of fan fiction written by in..bathrobe and she has a really fun thing she does with her author's notes where she asks a question related to the chapter. I really like that idea so I think I will try it out. Thank you for your amazing stories and ideas in..bathrobe! Your Twilight fan fics are amazing! All credit for this "Question of the Chapter" idea goes to her._

_What is your favorite pizza topping?_


	5. DARLIAN

_**Author's note:**__ This chapter has not been beta'd as I am still searching for a new beta reader. Please excuse any grammatical errors or typos I may have overlooked. If anyone is interested in beta reading this story please send me a PM or an email to the email address I have listed in my bio._

_Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi_

_New Mobile Report Gundam Wing belongs to Masashi Ikeda, Sunrise Studios, TV Asahi & Bandai Entertainment. Illustration by Kōichi Tokita._

_I own nothing!_

**DARLIAN**

_After Colony 195 – Yokohama, Japan_

_**Usagi:**_

The sun had already set by the time we arrived at the Tokyo Space Port feeling completely jet lagged after the long flight to Japan. I could tell Usa was far from impressed with her first flight experience – which was definitely not as 'cool' as the flight on the space shuttle to Earth. Even her enthusiasm of returning to Japan had waned after the first couple of hours of being cooped up in a plane. It had been a long flight and we still had a bit further to go.

Right out of the space port we took a thirty minute train ride into Yokohama. We could have stayed the night in Tokyo but I decided against checking into another hotel in favor of going straight for what would be our 'home' for the next undetermined amount of time.

It had not hit me until then how shockingly similar this Earth is to the Earth I left behind in my world… universe? I knew the two were not one and the same of course. I didn't think it possible that we had merely traveled in time. This world has a different history from mine. I'm not even exactly sure what the crystal did when it brought me here but, if my daughter was capable of time travel than maybe just maybe other universes…parallel or whatever you want to call them exist.

Yokohama is big city, second to Tokyo in size and like all big cities in my memory; the night life in this one was just getting started. Big cities never sleep. I had the taxi driver we commandeered from the bus station stop off at some take-out place he knew of to pick up something for dinner; some traditional Japanese with spicy curry and sushi on the menu. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had curry and it would serve to bring back a little bit of normalcy for Usa and I.

The safe house was hidden away on the outskirts of Yokohama. When we got to the place, I had to double check the address. I'd expected something a little more discreet than the large two-story estate that loomed in front of us. Fortunately, we did have the right place. Once again I paid this cab driver a little extra for his effort; enough to make him happy but not enough that we would be memorable, then we got all of our things up the rest of the drive way and into the house.

Once inside the foyer, I unpacked the Berretta and loaded it, then told Usa to stay put while I did a walkthrough of the house. I knew I was just being paranoid but it wouldn't hurt to be cautious. I didn't find anything amiss; in fact it didn't look like anyone had been in residence for years, though the power and water seemed to be running. Most of the furniture was covered in tarps and white sheets; we'd have to remedy that in the morning. I couldn't bring myself to care much for anything other than making sure we were secure, and that we had a comfortable bed to sleep on. Well…that and getting food in our stomachs; mustn't forget the take-out that was waiting for us in their convenient little packages.

After my walk through, I made sure the entire house was locked up before we went into the kitchen to eat our take-out dinner. We sat at the kitchen bar counter eating right out of the convenient little take-out containers. Once we were done I got rid of all the trash and we went upstairs for bed. It was late and exhaustion from the entire trip was starting to take its toll.

There were four bedrooms and Usa and I opted to share the biggest room, neither feeling brave enough to sleep alone. Once we got everything into the room that we picked out, we left the luggage in the closet to unpack the next day and crawled into bed. That became the first night I ever slept with a gun under my pillow.

xxxxxx

The small rays of sunlight creeping past the curtains woke me early the next morning. I got up and set about preparing for the long day ahead. There was much to be done and not nearly enough time to do it in. Usa woke up and not long after we kicked off the day by taking a proper tour of the interior of the house and surrounding grounds.

We starting to do a bit of cleaning up and managed to make the place a little homier without all of the ghostly white sheets over the furniture. The kitchen, as I'd predicted was bare save for some non-perishables which I inspected anyway just to make sure those were still okay to use. I was pleasantly surprised with what I found, particularly the can of tuna I opened for Diana to have for her breakfast. She certainly didn't complain.

The rest of the canned food didn't look particularly appetizing for our own breakfast. Grocery shopping found its way onto my to-do list, but it would have to wait a bit. One thing the kitchen did have going for it, is that it came fully equipped with everything else we'd need. I had managed to learn a thing or two from Makoto in the cooking department so I was sure we could manage. The stove, fridge, and microwave were all operational and the cookware was in decent shape as well. I could definitely work with this.

I didn't bother much with any of the other bedrooms upstairs. We unpacked, and then straightened the main areas of the house and the one bedroom we'd shared last night. The house didn't seem to be in disrepair and I was happy to see that all of the locks and windows were secure. I'd checked them the previous night, but decided to have a second look in the daylight incase I'd missed something.

The garage attached to the house was next. It yielded the best surprise of all; a car. It wasn't nearly as stunning as the house; just a modest little four-door sedan, nondescript. It appeared to be in good shape from what I could tell. There didn't even seem to be any weather wear on the car's bright blue paint. It probably had not even been out of the garage in a very long time. Appearances, however, could be deceiving. Sitting in the garage for a long time didn't mean the vehicle was in good shape.

Walking around to the driver's side I found that the door was unlocked. I took a seat behind the steering wheel and fished around for the keys that I hoped would be somewhere inside. I hadn't come across any keys inside the house, so I assumed I'd find them in the car. I struck gold when I flipped the visor down; the keys dropping onto my lap from their hiding place. I had to laugh; leaving the keys hidden on the visor was such a movie cliché.

The interior of the car looked as nice as the outside; it had automatic everything which was a plus. I decided to have a look under the hood. I'd learned some mechanics from working with H and Quatre, at least enough to check the car fluids. It had to be easier than working on a Gundam. Reaching down underneath the dash I found the lever to pop the hood and pulled on it. The hood popped right open and I got out of the car again to check things out.

Everything seemed to be alright from what I could tell all that was left was to give her a test run. I got back into the driver's seat, sent a prayer to whatever god was listening and turned the key in the ignition. The engine turned over beautifully with a satisfactory purr. I grinned and had Usa open the garage door for me. We now had transportation! Getting around the big city wouldn't be a problem at all.

I grinned and had Usa open the garage door for me so that I could ease the car out onto the drive way testing the breaks and listening carefully to see if the car made any strange noises. Nothing was amiss but one could never be too careful.

"Usa, honey, go get my bag and hop in. We're going out for breakfast." I called to Usa, after I put the window down.

Grinning, she rushed inside to get my things then pressed the button for the garage door to close on her way out before climbing into car with me.

"I told Diana that we were going to get something to eat." Usa said as she buckled herself in.

I nodded. "Good, she should be alright for a little while on her own. Let's see what this city has to offer."

I wasn't sure exactly where I was going, but I at least knew my way back into the city. We weren't all that far from the city limits. I drove around for a bit till we found a likely spot; a kissaten(1) right near the Academy. It didn't hurt to get a little more familiar with the area.

It was a nice place; clean and tastefully decorated though it wasn't very big. There weren't more than a couple of tables and a counter, the door behind that probably led into the kitchen. I ordered a couple of pastries, tea for Usa, and a coffee for me from the young barista girl behind the counter then we picked out a table by the store front window. The little coffee shop wasn't too busy so we were able to get our orders fairly quickly.

Being so close to the school I figured that the place would cater more towards the student body of St. Gabriel Academy. This place would probably get the most business in the early morning and then again at around lunch time. Just as I was taking my first sip rich coffee my suspicions were confirmed. A small clique of girls wearing their burgundy blazers and long skirts breezed into the establishment.

"Good morning, Rachel" one of them said to the barista, "we'll have the usual to go please. We're running a little late this morning."

Rachel, our efficient little hostess, smiled politely "right away, Miss Sumi."

The trio of girls stayed by the counter chattering while their drinks were being made and I managed to get a few snippets of information.

"_Did you hear that Miss Relena is back from her trip into space? She should be back in school tomorrow."_

"_Yes, just in time for her birthday too. I wonder if we'll get our invitations soon."_

"_The Darlians always have the best parties."_

The girls swept right back outdoors with drinks in hand just as quickly as they had come in.

Well then it seems our little Miss Relena must be a popular girl. _Interesting_

"They're from the school, aren't they Mommy?" Usa whispered her question, cutting into my thoughts.

"Yes, I think so." I replied.

"Yuck that color is going to clash horribly with my hair." She said wrinkling her nose in distaste.

I chuckled tossing my napkin over the remains of my meal, "It'll be fine. Are we done here? We should get going."

"Yep, all done."

"Alright, let's go. We still have to find a market and pick up what we need for the house."

We threw out our trash in the bin and I asked Rachel for another coffee to go. I paid for our meal and accepted the paper coffee cup.

"Thank you, Rachel." I said smiling at the brunette.

She blinked at me, probably surprised that I'd paid enough attention to know her name, but smiled none the less. "No problem, Mrs…"

"Tsukino."

xxxxxx

Usa and I made a quick trip of the market after asking Rachel where we could find one. She seemed to know her way around town rather well and we had no trouble finding the store with her directions.

It was still early when we pulled back into the drive way of the safe house with our supplies. We set about unloading the car and putting away the groceries. It didn't take long to unpack everything. I would still have plenty of time to go over the stuff in the briefcase and laptop before going in to the school for my interview. In a few hours I would have to convincingly play the part of a teacher. Heaven knows Miss Haruna would totally be tossing in her grave…_somewhere. Me, a teacher? Ha!_

We settled on down at the kitchen table, Usa with her books and me with the laptop. I booted it up to look through the rest of the files on Miss Darlian and St. Gabriel Academy. As I became engrossed with the material I noticed Usa taking surreptitious glances at me with an odd expression on her face.

"What?" I asked meeting her gaze curiously.

She just shook her head at me, "I don't know Momma. It's just so strange seeing you so focused on something. I was just thinking that you and the Usagi that I know from the past are nothing alike."

"I was pretty immature back then wasn't I?" I mused aloud remembering my teenage years.

Usa grinned, "You never studied; always too busy reading manga and saving the world as Sailor Moon."

"I had a lot of growing up to do." I conceded with a wry grin, "but that doesn't mean you'll get away with slacking off little lady."

"No Ma'am"

It took the rest of the morning but I managed to study everything to the point that I knew the layout of the Academy by heart without having ever set foot on the place. I knew the surrounding area as well. I knew how many miles to and from the safe house, all of the possible short cuts, and I knew the location of all of the militaristic compounds and anything else of further importance.

By midday I felt confident enough to move forward with my plans. I had just a little under an hour before the meeting with the academy's headmaster so it was now or never.

xxxxxx

_What is your coffee beverage of choice?_

_**Post Note from the Author: **__Sorry for the long wait folks! I know this one was short but I hope everyone has enjoyed the chapter! Please read and review!_

_(1)Kissaten: A __**kissaten**__ is a Japanese-style coffee shop. __Kissaten__ are particularly popular among students and business people ("salaryman") for breakfast._


	6. ST GABRIEL'S

_Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi_

_New Mobile Report Gundam Wing belongs to Masashi Ikeda, Sunrise Studios, TV Asahi & Bandai Entertainment. Illustration by Kōichi Tokita._

_I own nothing!_

**ST. GABRIEL'S**

_After Colony 195 – Yokohama, Japan_

_**Usagi:**_

It wasn't easy taking scissors to my hair. I'd never cut my own hair before. In fact I'd never even gotten more than the ends trimmed professionally. I like my long hair, but I would have to do without it until it grows back. My usual hair style attracts too much attention. I needed something a little less conspicuous. With Usa's help we managed an even, shoulder length, square cut. My new hair was styled completely different; the bangs were no longer parted and the ends were flipped like I'd seen in a magazine somewhere.

Getting dressed was the next thing in order. Usa and I pack light so I didn't have anything appropriate for my meeting with the headmaster. It was lucky that we had come across a boutique during our trip to the grocery store. I bought couple of professional looking outfits, appropriate foot wear, and a couple of other odds and ends.

While I'd been in the shower Usa laid out a charcoal pencil skirt and matching jacket on the bed. The blouse that went with it was white with a simple v-cut; simple, effective, and professional. Haruna would be proud.

Among the odds and ends that came with the new clothes were a couple of packages of stockings which were in order. After opening a package of the nude colored hose I put them on along with the skirt and blouse. My make-up was light; just some lip gloss and eye shadow. By the time I had my make-up applied Usa was out of the shower.

We got her hair done leaving it out of the traditional odangos and instead tying a navy blue ribbon in her hair that matched with the pleated scooter skirt she picked out. After we were all decked out in our new clothes I strapped on my new shoulder holster and slid the loaded Beretta into place. Usa handed over my jacket to me and I put that on while stepping into a pair of black leather Mary Jane pumps.

We were out the door and on the way to the Academy within the next few minutes.

– _St. Gabriel's Academy_

It wasn't a long drive. We arrived with minutes to spare before my meeting with the Headmaster. I parked the car and we followed the directory towards the office building where registration and all of the administrative offices were located. I took note of the registration office for later and proceeded into the headmaster's office.

There was a large waiting room with a reception desk and very European type furnishing. Everything was big and bulky made of some sturdy wood, probably oak but I am by no means an expert on the subject. The secretary's desk at least was massive and she looked very small behind it.

The secretary was indeed a petite thing of about twenty years of age or so. She looked bored out of her wits while flipping through some file on her desk. She looked up as we approached and smiled warmly.

"Hi, good afternoon, you must be –" she paused and glanced at her files again, "Ms. Tsukino?"

"That would be me." I replied

"And who would this pretty young lady be?" she asked, turning on the charm.

"This is my daughter, Usa. I thought I would bring her along and get her registered for class while I'm at it." I explained as we shook hands.

"Great, I'll inform Headmaster Takeuchi**(1)** that you are here and go ahead and bring you the registration forms for Usa."

She turned around in her big swivel chair toward a row of filing cabinets behind her and pulled out the appropriate forms placing them into a manila folder before handing them over to me. A call was put into Takeuchi's office and he promised that he would 'be with us in five minutes'

We took a seat in the waiting area and started filling out registration packet for Usa in the meantime. The Headmaster, however, was true to his word and he came out of his office in the promised time. I had barely filled out the first couple of questions on the first page when the balding man stepped out.

The man was the picture of authority from the stern expression on his face to the expensive tailored suit. This man looked like he took his job of educating young minds seriously. Once upon a time, the old me might have been intimidated but I'd learned a thing or two about appearances.

"Ah, Ms. Tsukino, I presume?" He said while giving me a cursory once over as I stood to greet him.

"Yes, it's a pleasure meeting you, Sir."

"I'm sure the pleasure is all mine." He smiled, "Welcome to St. Gabriel's."

"Thank you." I replied.

"I see you've brought your daughter along for registration. If you don't mind, Masumi here can look after her while we proceed with the interview." Takeuchi offered, gesturing to the young woman.

I glanced at Usa at that moment. She seemed apprehensive but quirked a little brave grin in response. Ruffling her hair I nodded in agreement, "Certainly."

"Right this way then, please" Takeuchi said, and he lead the way into his office.

The Headmaster's office was no different than the lobby; the same dated and bulky furniture with the same muted colors. The sleek looking LCD monitor set on top of the desk was such a contrast to everything else in the room.

The older man made his way around his desk and motioned to the overstuffed chair across from him, "Please, have a seat."

I did as he asked, neatly crossing my legs and adjusting my skirt in the process. I honestly didn't think there would be much to the interview. Either I got the job or I didn't. I watched him expectantly and the Headmaster quickly confirmed my suspicions.

"I must say Ms. Tsukino, this interview is merely a formality. I was quite impressed with your resume and the recommendations that came from Winner Enterprises. They speak very highly of you." He said sounding genuinely impressed.

'_Forged resume'_ I thought wryly as a slow smile spread on my lips.

"Thank you, Sir. I appreciate the opportunity you are giving me here today."

"Such modesty my dear, your qualifications are extraordinary. You are exactly the kind of professional instructor we are looking for here at this academy. There is no doubt in my mind that you will be a wonderful asset to our teaching staff. Now before you begin your tenure at St. Gabriel's I must impress upon you the importance of confidentiality and security."

I nodded for him to continue.

"In this academy the education of our Elite students is priority. We have the children of many very important political figures in attendance and it is vital to maintain their privacy and safety at all times. Under no circumstance are any student files, records, assignments, or anything of that nature permitted to leave the premises. Absolutely everything is classified. Aside from that, good judgment and the upmost professionalism is required of everyone on staff."

"I would expect nothing less, Headmaster."

The man beamed at me.

"Good, very well then, welcome aboard Ms. Tsukino. I shall expect you here bright and early tomorrow morning. My assistant will help you get settled into an office and show you the classroom you'll be taking over."

"Yes, Sir" I said.

We both stood and shook hands.

xxxxxx

After my meeting with the Headmaster Takeuchi, the rest of the afternoon passed in a whirlwind of paperwork. Usa's registration packet was submitted to the Registrar with all of the fees paid in full and my own documentation was filed in the institutes personnel office.

We were finally done for the day when Masumi the secretary left us with my newly activated keycards; one for my office the other for the classroom. I was apparently going to be taking over the post of foreign language teacher. I never inquired as to what had become of my predecessor, but I was sure I didn't want to know anyway.

I sighed as I sank into the thickly padded chair behind my desk. How was I supposed to teach a bunch of spoiled rich kids to read, write, and speak Japanese? _Learning _a new language has never been easy for me let alone trying to teach others. I still remember how difficult it had been for me to learn English in the past.

Hopefully I wouldn't have to stay on this mission for long. I'm not really a qualified teacher and surely "my colleagues" would eventually start to wonder. The only small comfort is that Japanese is my native tongue and I'd be able to muddle through a few lessons before things get dicey.

At any rate brooding wasn't about to solve any problems. It was getting late, practically dinner time and I was fairly certain that Usa was hungry by now. I knew I was starving.

"How about we go grab dinner and then head back to the house? It's been a long day." I said at last, ending our companionable silence.

She grinned eagerly, "Sure, Mama."

We collected our things and drove off campus, picking up some take-out for the second time this week on the way back to the safe house.

Diana pounced on us the minute we came through the door.

"How did it go at the school?" she asked, her tail flicking in curiosity.

I shrugged, "I think it went well. No one questioned our information and there were no problems registering Usa."

Usa mad a disgusted face as she collapsed dramatically onto the couch, "I still say these uniforms are an ugly color."

"They're not that bad." I chuckled.

"Speak for yourself! _You_ don't have to wear them." She pouted.

"Well, the color does clash with her hair." Diana added helpfully.

I rolled my eyes at them. "Don't encourage her, Diana."

I crossed the room with our dinner in one arm and the uniforms in question draped over the other. I left all three sets of garments the backrest of the couch she was laying on.

"Go hang these up in the closet and get washed up for dinner." I told Usa as I continued into the kitchen. I could hear her muttering about the injustice of the awful uniform all the way up the stairs.

Dinner was a quiet affair. We had our take-out meal on the kitchen dinette table and had an easy job of cleaning up after which we curled up on the living room couch together; me with my laptop and Usa with one of her books.

I had a report to send out to H and a game plan to come up with for my class the next day. I wasn't looking forward to my first day. My big master plan so far was to just wing it somehow, maybe ask the students what they had been covering in class before their previous professor flew the coop. _Not a bad idea really…_

xxxxxx

The next morning was a mad dash to get to the Institute early. I wanted to see if the previous professor had left any lesson plans or notes behind. If I wasn't lucky enough to find anything then at least I'd have enough time to get settled in and come up with something before actually dealing with the students. I could probably even get away with a review of the basics.

We had made pretty decent time when we pulled into the teacher's lot at the school. I had more than enough time to walk Usa over to the primary school building and meet her teacher. I had a brief talk with the woman before heading over to my own classroom at the high school.

The old teacher's desk yielded absolutely nothing of value aside from the instructive edition of the class textbook. I sat at the desk flipping through the pages before giving up and going back out to the court yard to observe the students

"_I'm surprised that Relena isn't here yet."_

"_I think her limo just pulled up. There you see the pink one?"_

"_Didn't she just return from her trip to outer space?"_

"_I really do envy her. I'd love to take a trip to outer space, even just once._

I glanced over as one of the girls pointed the limousine that was practically the color of Usa's hair.

_Who on Earth rides around in a pink limo?_ I thought to myself, though I really wasn't surprised. After living for a year with Quatre, I've seen what money can do. Little miss popular even has a fan club to boot.

"_Guess that's what being the richest girl in school is like."_

"_Oh yea that reminds me; isn't it Relena's birthday tomorrow?"_

"_That's right."_

"_I wonder who Relena's gonna invite to her birthday party?"_

As the girls continued to gossip, Relena herself joined the gathering; her entourage immediately flocking around her like several moths to the flame. Morning greetings were said all around but she was definitely the center of attention.

The first bell rang and I ducked back into the classroom as the rest of my students walked in and started taking their seats. I was pleased to see that Miss Darlian was among them. I sat at my desk again and let them whisper amongst themselves until the second bell rang.

Taking a deep breath I steeled myself for the task at hand. _Introductions…at least that would kill some time for today._

"Good morning." I said and walked up to the podium. All eyes were on me and the classroom fell silent. "My name is Professor Tsukino. I will be taking over for your previous language professor. I understand this class is covering the Japanese language but I do not know the particulars about how this class was conducted before me. I would just like to go ahead and get started so that we can see where we stand and pick up where you left off. If anyone would like to catch me up on what was last covered in class we can get the ball rolling.

A girl near the front row had just raised her hand when one of the school matrons walked in followed by a teen boy with messy dark hair and Prussian blue eyes. There was something very cold and calculating about the boy's eyes. He had my attention from the moment he walked in.

"Excuse me, Professor" the Matron said to me, "I have a new student to introduce. It will only take a moment."

I nodded and offered her the podium.

"Quiet please." she said once she was at the podium, "I'd like to introduce a new student to our class."

The matron let the boy speak next.

"My name is Heery Yuy. It's a pleasure." The teen said blandly.

"Take the seat beside Relena, Heero. Feel free to ask her any questions you might have." The matron instructed.

I watched as Heero took the seat indicated. Relena said something to him but the boy looked straight ahead of him paying her no mind.

The woman excused herself and I once again had the attention of the class.

"Now, let's begin class." I said retaking my place at the podium.

My thoughts were on the strange new kid. Something about him set all sorts of warning bells off in my head. I set all of my concerns on the back burner for the time being. I had a class to teach. In no time I had the class in an open discussion about what had recently been covered in their text books. Heero took no active part in the conversation but considering this was his first day as well I couldn't really expect him to. I didn't know what to make of him at all.

All in all it was actually a pleasant hour. The material wasn't too hard to cover and now I had a basis to start with. I could do this.

The rest of the day went on as planned. I had almost even forgotten my strange gut feeling about Heero up until the incident at lunch time. In my free time between classes I took to observing the students out in the court yard. Yuy seemed to be people watching as well; leaning over the veranda and observing, or maybe I was giving him too much credit and he was merely staring off into "space". For a teenager he was awfully _still_. Then Relena and her ever present posse approached the stoic boy.

I couldn't hear the conversation but, I was able to watch with wry amusement as miss popular handed him some sort of invitation. The congregation clapped as though it was a great honor. Heero stared at it for a moment and then promptly ripped the envelope in half. The collective gasp was audible.

Relena looked about ready to cry. He brushed a tear away and got close enough to whisper something before walking away nonchalantly with his hands in his pocket.

Our eyes met as Yuy crossed my path and I could see the calculating look reflected in them again. He knew I was watching. Something was definitely off about Heero Yuy and I was going to figure out what.

xxxxxx

_What was your worst subject in school?_

_**Post Note from the Author: **__Once again,__sorry for the long wait folks! I'm not particularly fond of how this chapter came out. I ran into a lot of writers block so over all I feel a bit dissatisfied but in the end I bulled forward and got it to a point where it felt complete. Unlike the last chapter however, this one is actually beta'd my wonderful beta Princess2000204 did an amazing job. Kudos and special thanks! I hope everyone enjoys the chapter. Please read and review!_

_(1)Headmaster Takeuchi's name is a nod to the amazing Naoko Takeuchi who brought us Sailor Moon. The character in no way reflects upon Ms. Takeuchi except in the use of the surname._


	7. IT'S A GUNDAM!

_Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi_

_New Mobile Report Gundam Wing belongs to Masashi Ikeda, Sunrise Studios, TV Asahi & Bandai Entertainment. Illustration by Kōichi Tokita._

_I own nothing_

**IT'S A GUNDAM!**

_After Colony 195 – St. Gabriel's Academy_

_**Usagi:**_

I sat in my office staring at the computer screen in disbelief. Only moments ago Heery Yuy's file had been practically empty with all his fees left outstanding now everything was accounted for. Now all the pertinent records were on file and his fees were cleared. The kid was squeaky clean. It just wasn't possible!

It couldn't be a coincidence that his file was being updated just as I was looking at it. Yuy had to be accessing the system, but how? According to his class schedule he should be at his equestrian lesson, not anywhere near a computer.

Maybe I was just being paranoid. The student file looked ordinary now that the information was all there. Nothing stood out except for the fact that the file had been empty a moment ago, of that much I was certain. It was possible that the registrar office made a recent update though.

I bit my bottom lip in frustration. I wasn't going to gain anything more from the files at the school. Despite St. Gabriel's thorough checks on their students and staff, Yuy had slipped through the cracks as easily as I did.

My instincts have never been wrong. I have a sixth sense about this sort of thing. Heero Yuy was not some ordinary teenager. Turning up as a new transfer student just as the Foreign Minister's daughter was returning to the Academy was more than simple coincidence; coincidence that no one else seemed to be piecing together. There are just too many coincidences surrounding the stoic boy to ignore, especially his strange interactions with the Darlian girl. Relena seems to be a little too familiar with a boy that for all intents purposes should have been a stranger. That was curious enough in itself. Unfortunately without more information I would just be grasping at straws.

Heero was definitely on my radar. I have to do a little digging on my own to find out just what the kid was up to

I spent the rest of the day distracted, thinking about my self-imposed "homework" assignment. The irony was not lost on me. I'd never liked homework. Unfortunately there was no way out of this particular endeavor.

.

I had been so distracted by my own thoughts that I never heard my assailant creep up on me as I made my way out to the faculty parking lot at the end of the school day. There was no opportunity to even reach for the gun I was wearing on the shoulder holster underneath my jacket. I was slammed against the wall, hard. He had perfect timing. Damn. There was no one around to hear us so I didn't bother screaming for help.

I knew my attacker was male. I could tell by the firm weight of him and the feel of his hands as he frisked me, obviously checking for weapons.

_How the hell did he know?_

I cursed my carelessness as he pulled the Beretta from the concealed holster. It was pointless to fight him now so I waited. He wouldn't use the gun. Surely a shot would be heard even from here. There had to be some personnel still left in the building, then again I couldn't be certain. Once he was through with his searching he whirled me around to face him, keeping me pressed flush against the wall. I was met with Heero Yuy glaring at me.

"Who are you?" he demanded without preamble in a very monotone voice.

"Professor Usagi Tsukino," I said calmly meeting his Prussian blue eyes. "And you'd do well to remember that. Just what do you think you are doing?"

He completely ignored my question. "Negative. This concealed weapon says otherwise."

The boy wasn't an idiot. Of course, an ordinary school teacher would not go walking around with a loaded gun.

Even so, I continued to play stupid. "I'm sure I don't understand what you mean Mr. Yuy. It is perfectly legal for me to carry a hand gun as long as I have the required permits. Which I assure you…"

He glared some more. Apparently "Mr. Yuy" wasn't amused.

"I know you were looking at my student file. Why? Who are you reporting to?"

Ah, so our little hacker had noticed my snooping. _Good._ Now I was sure that he was the one hacking the files. I allowed myself a small smirk, "No one. No one seems to be aware of how incredibly lacking Heero Yuy's file was."

"Hn."

Heero must have believed me about that because he was back to his initial question.

"Who the hell are you?" he growled.

I wondered if the boy was seriously starting to contemplate killing me right there and then. I couldn't tell from the expression on his face. It was a cold, stoic mask; as though all of the emotion was buried deep underneath.

"You'll find out." I replied cryptically, "For now all I can tell you is that I will keep your secret."

I kept the "until I figure you out" part of my statement to myself. To my surprise he finally released me and handed the fire arm back.

"Stay out of my way or I _will_ kill you." He said; the parting words chilling with the tone in his voice.

Heero disappeared as quickly as he had come. I breathed a sigh of relief the moment that he was out of view. It had been an incredibly close situation. I had no doubt in my mind now that Heero Yuy was dangerous and very capable of carrying out his threats. It took me a moment to collect myself, holstering the Beretta and smoothing out my skirt before I could continue on my way to the car.

Usa was perched on the hood of the car, legs swinging idly over the edge. Immediately it struck me how unwise it had been to tell her to meet me by the car after class. It was careless! I should have gone to get her after class. Leaving my daughter unsupervised and unprotected was irresponsible of me. No matter how grown up she acted or how independent, she was still just my little girl.

Smiling, she waved at me once she'd caught sight of me approaching the car, "Hi, Mama!"

The smile faltered when she saw the look on my face. I wasn't through berating myself yet.

"Is everything okay?" she asked tentatively as she hopped off the hood and moved to open the passenger door.

"I think you should wait for me by the classroom tomorrow. I will come get you." I said tersely, my mood carrying over into the tone of my voice.

She looked at me bewildered, "O.k."

I sighed. Scaring her would not help my anxiety any.

"I'm sorry, Honey. Everything is fine. I'm just a little overwhelmed by this whole teaching thing." I tried for a sheepish grin, "but how was your day?"

"Great!" she enthused, her smile brightening right back up again, "I have a new friend."

"That's great! Did you like your classes?"

I smiled for her benefit, not having the heart to tell her that we might have to move on soon and that making friends was not exactly a good idea right now.

She shrugged "They were o.k. A lot of the material was easy. I'm a little ahead of the class."

"That's not so bad. You can always use the practice." I said as we pulled out of the parking lot. We joined the traffic leading out of the school and she shrugged again, letting the subject drop. We made the rest of the drive in companionable silence after that.

Diana was waiting for us in the foyer again when we walked into the house. As per usual, she descended on us immediately.

"How was your first day?" Diana asked, tail swishing back and forth in curiously.

I gave her a tiny hopeful smile, "I think it went well."

I kept walking through the house, with Usa and Diana trailing in my wake. I set about the familiar tasks of the evening leaving my coat and briefcase by the couch in the living room before going up to change in the bedroom.

We emerged in casual clothing and reconvened in the kitchen where Usa settled down at the small breakfast table to do her homework while I set about the task of making dinner. It was another quiet evening with inane conversation, mostly relating our day to each other and enjoying the meal.

My thoughts however were still a jumbled mess and I didn't contribute much but neither of my companions seemed to notice. I had a lot to consider and a very important message to send off to Quatre and H. I needed to know more about Heero Yuy and I was almost certain that H would have something to say on the matter.

Tomorrow would be another full day, possibly even more so with the Darlian party. After cleaning dinner up I sat down with my laptop again and fired off an email.

It contained no subject and the actual body of the message was just two words, '_Heero Yuy'_. The old coot was cryptic so I was sure he would appreciate my short communiqué. After that I sent Quatre a "We're alive and well" message then encrypted both emails and sent them off.

I shut off the machine and went through my lock up routine for the night, locking doors and windows as well as shutting off the lights throughout the house. Once I was sure that the house was secure we went upstairs to bed. It wasn't even ten o'clock but Usa was quickly out like a light.

xxxxxx

Five in the morning found me wide awake with my daughter curled against my side. I hadn't slept much but the soft rhythmic sound of Usa's breathing was soothing so this was as relaxed as I was going to get before the day ahead. There was still a half hour before the alarm clock would come blaring to life. I gave myself a few more minutes before extricating myself from Usa.

I left her to sleep a little longer and quietly moved about the room getting ready. Diana stretched lazily and watched me from where she lay at the foot of the bed. We didn't speak but she followed me out of the room when I left.

"You didn't sleep." Diana observed, reminding me of just how much like her mother she was. Luna had always been straight forward. She'd never minced words.

"I rested." I retorted, unconcerned.

A little lack of sleep wasn't such a big deal and I certainly didn't want Usa to find out and worry. I hoped I conveyed that much with the look on my face.

At lease Diana understood that I wasn't going to talk about it. She hopped on my shoulder as we went downstairs where I started on breakfast. Diana settled on the counter to watch me cook, thankfully dropping the conversation.

It wasn't long before Usa wandered into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Morning, Mama" she muttered taking a seat at the breakfast table.

The first batch of pancakes I was making were ready then, and I set a stack of them on a plate in front her.

"Good morning."

"Pancakes?" she asked in surprise.

I grinned as I moved to get juice out of the fridge, "Yep, I had a little extra time this morning to make them. You better hurry though we have to get going soon."

She nodded and eagerly dug into her food. Pancakes are one of her favorites and I was happy to indulge her whenever I could.

I set two glasses of juice on the table and went back to dish up my own food before joining her. We ate and once we were done I shooed her off to get ready for school while I cleaned up. There was enough time for me to check my email so I did that while waiting for Usa.

There were replies to both the messages I had sent the previous night; the reply from H being priority. I don't know what kind of reply I had been expecting from him. I knew he wasn't the kind to divulge much information unless it was absolutely necessary but I certainly expected more than the two words I got.

_Unknown Variable._

As if that wasn't the understatement of the damn century. What the hell? I hadn't been in the kid's presence for very long and I already knew that much. What I didn't know is just what did Yuy have to do with Relena Darlian? If I was supposed to babysit the girl I should at least know that much.

I was very tempted to email the old man back and tell him just where he could shove his cryptic missive. It wasn't very helpful thank you very much. I couldn't stay out of Heero Yuy's way if that put Relena in danger. Now that I was involved I couldn't just stand idly by and let something happen to her.

Usa's return to the kitchen helped me resist the urge to reply and I just shut down the system.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

"Yep" she assured me, as she adjusted the strap of the bag on her shoulder.

We said our goodbyes to Diana and then were on the road with plenty of time to spare. I parked the car after dropping Usa off by the primary school entrance. The entire building was buzzing about the big Darlian party later that afternoon. It seemed like _everyone_ was going to Relena's high-brow birthday soiree.

It was hard keeping the students focused so I handed out an easy review sheet and let them work. The day went by in a blur of light chatter and excitement over the impending festivities. That was okay. I didn't have to put much thought into the review and it gave me more time for observation.

Before I knew it classes were done for the day. I picked up Usa by her classroom and drove back to the safe house. After making dinner for Usa and Diana, I changed to go to the birthday party. I decided against taking Usa with me. She would be safer here at the house.

The party, I knew, would be a fancy affair but rather than getting into a dress I chose an outfit that was both dressy enough and practical. A dress wouldn't have allowed for much free movement and I preferred to be unhindered just in case.

I entered the courtyard of the large mansion where the party was being held just as the young lady of the house made her grand appearance in her pretty blue dress and finest fare. Relena paused dramatically at the top of the stairs to gather everyone's attention and greeted her guests. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at all the dramatics.

I moved on to greeting some of my new coworkers while subtly keeping track of Relena as she mingled. The whole affair was dull. After a while I actually wanted _something _to happen.

It finally did when one of Relena's admirers turned up. Drink in hand; I gravitated near the group of well-wishers because something the boy said seemed to agitate the birthday girl. I would bet money that it had something to do with Heero Yuy.

"Did you see Heero?"Relena said, standing suddenly from her seat.

"_Yeah, along the coastal road. But the funny thing is, he was driving an ambulance. Must've been someone else."_

"Which direction was that ambulance headed for?" She demanded.

"_Hm? It was headed for the military port."_

She started to move away from the group and they followed, calling for her to stop. I wanted to strangle her. What in God's name did she think she was going to do by following Heero to the military port? Relena could not possibly be that stupid could she? I followed their movements in the shadows and waited. If Miss Darlian was going to wade into danger I was going to have to be there to get her out of it.

"_Where are you going, Relena?"_

"Please, continue the party without me. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"_If you're going to the port then at least let me give you a ride."_

"_Let us go with you."_

"No! You stay here." I heard her say to her friends. "Excuse me, everyone."

Relena ran off then, leaving her mother and friends bewildered. I didn't stick around long enough to hear what they had to say about her outburst though. I was too busy keeping track of the girl to care.

She ran up to her ostentatious pink limousine and it took off predictably in the direction of the port. I hopped into my blue sedan cursing and questioning the silly girl's sanity.

We drove past the ambulance that Heero had last been seen in and drove up close to the Military Port. I ditched the sedan a little ways off and watched as the limousine drove back down the road after dropping Relena off. I waited long enough for the car to disappear and then started after my wayward charge.

It wasn't hard for Relena to find Heero and in turn I came upon them both standing by enough torpedoes to take down a Gundam. I stayed in the shadows not wanting to jump onto the scene just yet until Heero pulled out a gun on her.

_Damn it! _I thought to myself and reached for my weapon.

Heero took aim and glared at her, "You're in over your head. Say Good-bye, Relena."

I was seconds from pulling my own trigger when a shot rang out, grazing Heero's arm effectively disarming the boy and sending him sprawling.

Not knowing whether this new presence was friend or foe, I decided to step out of the shadows as Relena shouts her concern for Heero.

"Who're you?" Heero shouts at the interloper, completely ignoring Relena and me for the moment.

"It's pretty obvious to anyone that you're the bad guy here." the new voice says. The voice sounds young and male with an American accent but I couldn't tell for sure. The black baseball he wore obscured his features well.

"Are you alright, lady?" the interloper asks Relena with his gun still trained on Heero.

"She's fine." I said, hoping he would listen. I didn't want to have to shoot anyone, especially not a kid. "Why don't you lower your weapon?"

"I don't think so."

"Heero! Are you okay?" Relena says as she drops to her knees beside Heero. "Professor? Professor Tsukino! We have to help him!"

"Relena!" I shouted in warning perhaps a second too late.

Heero launched himself toward his own weapon and the interloper fired again, this time catching Heero's thigh. "Don't overdo it; remember, you're injured.

I was beginning to wonder who to keep my Beretta trained on when baseball cap boy started approaching us. I put myself between him and Relena and hoped for the best.

"That's close enough." I warned, training my gun on him as his is trained on me.

Relena, unfortunately decides to play martyr and steps out in front of me, arms spread wide. "Stop it! What do you wanna shoot him for?"

"Hey, wait a minute." The boy asked in confusion.

"What do you think you're doing Relena? Get out of here! "

The damn brat had the audacity to glare at me.

"I can't do that." Relena shouted and ran back to Heero's side. She actually started ripping strips of fabric from her dress to fasten makeshift bandages on his arm and leg.

"You foolish girl! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" I grit out in frustration. She has absolutely no common sense. I seriously wanted to shake some sense into her and drag her back home to her parents.

"Great! How come I end up the bad guy here?" The boy mutters. He seems distracted now. Some sort of alarm goes off on his wrist watch and he looks away towards the pier. I didn't quite catch what he said next but I didn't have to.

Though he tried to blind us with a flare, I could perfectly recognize the outline of what was rising out of the water.

_It's a Gundam!_

xxxxxxxx

_What is your favorite breakfast food?_

_**Post Note from the Author: **__Well finally chapter six is done! I do apologize for the long wait. Writer's block can be a very annoying companion. NaNoWriMo also took up a large part of my time as well as all of the holidays. I hope I can speed things up with my updates but we shall see how it goes._

_The title of this chapter has a funny story behind it. I belong to a Gundam Wing group on Facebook and someone shared a video that was both funny and an inspiration. Check out the video on youtube, search It's a Gundam and it should be the first video. It is hilarious!_


	8. THREE GUNDAMS CONFIRMED!

_Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi_

_New Mobile Report Gundam Wing belongs to Masashi Ikeda, Sunrise Studios, TV Asahi & Bandai Entertainment. Illustration by Kōichi Tokita._

_I own nothing_

**THREE GUNDAMS CONFIRMED!**

_After Colony 195_

_**Usagi:**_

It was surreal. I stood there watching in awe as not one, but two Gundams rose out of the water. Apparently, H, had neglected to mention that there were more Gundams besides the one he had built with borrowed resources from the Winners. Quatre and I had just assumed that Sandrock was one of a kind; then again, it shouldn't surprise me that the scientist was keeping information from us. H had always seemed like a wily old bastard to me.

The distraction of the two Gundams surfacing was all that Heero Yuy needed to make his move. Running away from Relena, he threw himself onto the rig of missiles.

"It's my mobile suit!" Heero shouted at the other boy while activating and releasing the missiles.

"What are you doing you fool?!" the boy exclaimed.

It was too late to react. We could only watch in horror as the missiles rocketed straight toward the Gundams, flinging Heero off into the water below.

It was too late. We could only watch in horror as the Gundams sank into the water depths.

"Nooo!" the boy yelled in protest, "Damn it! He knows Gundanium's impact tolerance, which means he's the mobile suit's pilot!"

'_Damn,'_ I thought as I holstered my gun. This was turning into a nightmare.

"Relena, you stay put. I'm going to see if there is anything I can do." I said.

"But… Heero!" she wailed.

"Just stay put!" I barked, turning away to leave her there on the dock.

I walked past the other would-be-pilot, toward the edge of the dock, and spotted Heero floating face down in the water below.

"Hey" I said turning towards the teen, "You're going to have to help me here."

"What?! First, he wrecks my Gundam, and now I gotta fish him out of there? Forget it, Lady. You're nuts!"

I growled in frustration. "It's not a suggestion! He's a pilot, like you; obviously we have to help him. Get your ass over here and help!"

He grumbled something unintelligible and I glared at him. Finally he complied, holstering his own weapon and joining me in the task of getting Yuy out of the water. We waded out to the kid and I checked his vitals. He was okay.

"Must be made out of fucking gundanium himself…this guy…wow." The braided teen grumbled while lifting Heero's upper body.

I rolled my eyes at him and didn't comment while taking my half of the weight. We had to move fast. Someone was bound to have heard the explosion of the missiles. Staff from the military base was bound to show up very soon.

Then of course, Relena was waiting for us on the dock looking like she was just about to have a conniption.

Soaked and annoyed the pair of us finally got Yuy out of the water. Relena ran over immediately and fretted over his unconscious form. I left her to it and turned to the braided boy.

"We have to get out of here before the cavalry arrives." I said.

"What about them?" the kid asked jerking his thumb at Heero and Relena.

"Relena," I said sharply in a tone that caught her attention, "call for an ambulance. Do not tell anyone you saw us here. _Be careful_. He is dangerous."

"He isn't!" she tried to argue.

"Damn it, Relena. Just be careful!" I growled and turned again to the other pilot, "Let's go."

"Don't have to tell me twice, Lady."

It was against my better judgment to leave Relena there alone with Heero, but at the moment I had no choice. They would be okay. The pilot and I took off at a jog toward my hidden car and we gunned it all the way back onto the main road. I slowed down to the speed limit once we were far enough away from the base.

"Who are you?" I demanded as I made another turn and glanced at the boy.

He grinned, "Names Duo. I may run and hide, but I'll never tell a lie."

I chanced another glance at the kid and exhaled sharply. "Never tell a lie, huh? Well, I have no choice but to trust you now, Duo. Don't make me regret it. "

We're both quiet for the rest of the drive, he doesn't ask for my name and I don't offer. I'm just relieved once we're finally off the road. I pulled into the garage at the house and was greeted by Usa the minute we got out of the car.

"Mommy!"

"Baby, we have to pack up our stuff. We're moving."

She groaned. "What? Again?!"

"I'll explain later, Usa. Start getting our things together. We leave in ten."

She raised an eyebrow at Duo before turning around and running back into the house to do as I asked.

"Cute kid. Yours?" Duo asked, his eyes scanning his surroundings before he met my gaze. I could tell that despite his easy going attitude the teen was very aware everything going on around him.

"Yes, my daughter, Usa." The look on my face as I respond clearly says, _'do you have a problem with that?'_

But it seems that he doesn't because, he just shrugs and helps himself to a seat at the kitchen bar counter. "So, ya know my name, only fair that ya tell me yours. I can't just keep calling you Lady ya know."

"It's Usagi." I said, "I'm going to go help my daughter. Are you going to be here when I get back?"

Duo nodded, "Yeah, I'll stick around. But I have to get a hold of a pal of mine soon. We can't leave those Gundams down there for long."

"I know. We'll be quick."

I left Duo in the kitchen and went upstairs to help Usa gather our belongings. Our bags were already on top of the bed half packed. She turned to look at me when I moved toward the closet to help.

"Who's the new guy?" Usa asked immediately. I knew she'd been dying to ask since we walked in the door.

"His name is Duo. He's a… _friend_." I replied.

"He's like Quatre. Isn't he?" Usa deduced.

I ruffled her hair, "_Later. _Get your things from the drawers and I'll finish here."

Usa nodded and went to grab her clothes from the dresser as I got the briefcase and the last of my belongings from the closet. Quickly packing everything away, I zipped up the duffle before doing a quick check of my briefcase and locking it back up.

Diana came into the room and hopped onto the bed just as I was slinging the duffle strap over my shoulder.

"We're going on the move again? I don't want to be stuck in that carrier." She said eyeing the contraption with some distaste.

"I'm sorry. It'll have to be this way for now. You won't be able to talk for a while either. We have company again."

"It will be alright. I'll just feel better riding in Usa's backpack."

I gave her a quick nod and Usa scooped Diana up, tucking the kitten into her back pack. Usa shouldered her backpack and picked up her duffle. We were ready to go. We didn't own very much while planet side. Our personal belongings had been reduced to what little we could fit in these bags because we needed to travel light. I hadn't been very attached to material things since we had arrived in this world. Usa never complained either. The only source of her malcontent was that we kept having to move. She wanted stability and I could not give her that now.

I gave the room one last inspection, making sure that everything was as we'd found it originally before we made our way downstairs to join Duo in the kitchen. There was no time to check the rest of the house

The braided boy was exactly where I had left him; sitting at the bar, drumming his fingers on the counter surface. He glanced up when we came into the room and grinned.

"Let's move it, ladies. Times a wastin'."

Duo picked up his own bag and threw it over his shoulder in one swift movement. I didn't miss his furtive glace at my briefcase and the kitten that was poking her head out of my daughter's backpack. He didn't comment. He just seemed to be taking stuff in and filing it away as information. There was a cool, calculating look in his eyes, carefully hidden behind the mask of a grinning teenager. I knew I couldn't underestimate this boy.

After some consideration, I decided against using the little blue sedan again. It was pretty much a sure thing that we wouldn't be returning to this safe house. I didn't know if we would be able to return the car to the house and leaving it abandoned somewhere was bound to draw unwanted attention and maybe a connection to us. The next best thing was to call a cab. We made a rather unassuming trio; unless you took into consideration Duo's long braid of chestnut hair and strange attire somewhat reminiscent of a catholic priest.

Duo wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, but seeing no other option I put in the call to the local cab company and within about forty-five minutes we were dropped off at a shopping mall close to the alliance medical building.

Our little trio plus one cat joined the crowd and Duo immediately set off to find a payphone on the way towards the hospital. We were right across the street from the facility when he finally located what he was looking for. After rummaging around in his pocket for a minute Duo produced enough change to make the call. I pick up on some of what he's saying to his 'pal' but it's all in code…

"_Yeah, that'll do._

_Also both of the pull carts are broken…_

…_so I'd like ya to have my lunch ready at the back of the wheat field, if you would. Thanks, I'll help you tread the wheat later."_

Duo seemed pleased about the conversation, so I gathered at least, that the Gundams would be taken care of. He turned to us with a grin and gestured to the medical facility.

"Now, we should go visit the patient!"

I nodded and we left Usa in a safe place to wait for us while we snuck into the building.

Duo took the lead again as we made our way through the building. I thought he was leading the way to wherever they were holding Heero, but instead he hacked our way into a military supply room. I was amazed with his ability to get us through the facility without drawing attention to us or setting off any alarms.

He availed himself of a small supply of explosives, some parachutes, and a device that worked like a portable helicopter. It was an interesting assortment of things and I had to raise my eyebrow at the boy that had made such an effort to infiltrate the facility in silence. His devil may care grin was back full force and he said nothing. We left the supply room and I had the feeling that now that he had what he needed we were about to go in very _loud_ and _obnoxious_.

It turned out that Yuy was up on the fiftieth floor. Duo and I maintained our quiet trek up to an observation room. Duo makes quick work of the bored attendant and we access the video feed from the room Heero is being kept.

The room looks sterile like some sort of operating room. Not much other than the bed, monitoring equipment and Heero restrained on the bed. It is clear that the equipment set up only has video feed. The fact that there is no audio amuses Duo and he chuckles while taking a moment to watch Heero on screen.

"I see you've got no choice but to lie there." He says being precise with the movements of his lips, "I'm sure a talented guy with your skills would be able to read my lips. Well, can ya?"

We watched Heero incline his head in accent and Duo turns back to me. "His acting is just amazing. He regained consciousness without increasing his pulse or his brain waves."

He turned back to the screen, grinning impishly, "I've got a few questions I'd like to ask you. If you're feeling up to it, I thought we'd help break you out of here."

There was nothing more to do there in the observation booth so we made our way to the operating room we'd seen on screen. The explosives came out Duo's bag and he rigged them up on the wall.

"Time to liven things up, buddy!" Duo crowed as the explosives went off and the wall crumbling came crumbling down.

All sorts of alarms went off as we burst into the room. I coughed from the resultant smoke and debris. "Did we really have to go _through_ the damn wall?" I shouted over the noise.

"Yep!" he responds while already setting to the task of releasing Heero from the bed he's strapped to, "Damn how do you get these things off?"

We're briefly stumped by the heavy restraints until Heero reveals that he managed to get his right hand free. He reaches over; hand bloodied, and asks Duo for a knife.

I frowned at the amount of blood and hoped he hadn't done any permanent damage. His wrist looked pretty bad.

"Ugh, what'd you do to your hand? Damn you've got some guts!"

Ignoring Duo's attempt at banter, Heero cut through the restraints and we helped him to his feet. Duo handed us each one of the parachutes he procured and I helped Heero into his before strapping mine on my back.

"This way!" Duo shouts as he leads the way out and we charge down the hall way. I see him reach for another explosive and I pull away from the window just in time to see all of the glass shatter along with a good portion of the side of the building. I hadn't stopped to ask what the parachutes were for, and in hindsight, I really wish I would have. There was no choice but to jump out through the opening Duo made.

_An opening which happened to be up fifty stories high!_

I look over the edge and see the body of water below. There is no time to think. I make myself jump before I have any time to dwell on it. Getting caught now was not an option.

All I can hear is the rushing wind and Duo's shout of _'Geronimo' _as we free fall.

It takes me a moment make myself brave enough to open my eyes. Duo had activated his 'helicopter' device and I pulled on the release of my chute only to see that Heero was still falling. The kid was going to kill himself.

"Yuy!" I shouted, "What are you doing? Are you crazy?! Hurry up and release your parachute!"

Duo was shouting at him as well, "Man, are you trying to kill yourself or what? Damn! I'm going to have nightmares over this one!"

Heero doesn't seem to be listening, his eyes are closed and he's falling serenely as though he truly wants to die. It isn't until someone screams his name from the opening we jumped out of that he suddenly snaps into action, opening his parachute even though I thought it was already too late.

The next thing out of Duo's mouth confirmed my suspicions, but there was nothing we could do. Heero collided with the side of the sandy hill and rolled down the rest of the way to the beach. I think my heart stopped for a split second before I saw the boy get up looking just a little bit worse for wear.

Duo and I landed safely a moment later. The braided boy wasn't grinning anymore.

"Now, I can understand you wanting to take your own life, but maybe, just maybe, you should think of another way of committing suicide, buddy." Duo reprimanded as he moved in to help the limping boy. "I'm not asking you to trust me or anything, but right now, we're the only friends you've got, Paley"


End file.
